By Umamah Bakharia

Thousands of e-hailing drivers will embark on a three-day shutdown from 23 March, demanding that government regulate the industry.

E-hailing platforms such as Uber, Uber Eats, Mr D, Bolt and InDriver are expected to be affected with between 50-thousand and 70-thousand drivers participating.

Speaking to Radio Islam, the Private Public Transport Association’s Gugu Damda says that the government after 7 years has still reviewed the industry’s demands.

“The app companies have a way of [cultivating a partnership] yet we do not see that because they do not consult us in any changes that are happening,” says Damda.

She adds that drivers were not consulted about the app price hike which does not seek to benefit the driver despite fuel increases. In 2016, the average trip in Gauteng was R21 and in 2022, it is still the same.

The government has still yet to make a decision on regulating the e-hailing industry.

In Johannesburg, more than 10 000 drivers are expected to be participating in the shutdown.

Addressing safety concerns over e-hailing services, Damda says that Bolt not verifying their drivers has resulted in customers losing faith in the safety of e-hailing services.

“We now have a situation where our clients do not trust us with safety because Bolt has allowed drivers with criminal records to come into the platform and as a result, we are all blamed for the criminal activity,” says Damda.