Recently, someone asked me what the criteria was to be an Uber driver and I referred him to the Uber Nigeria website. Because the site took forever to load, I then asked a friend of mine who recently got activated on the app and he told me the process which I relayed to my other friend. Apparently he wasn’t exactly satisfied, he sought information from some other driver who was not doing greatly on the platform and somehow was fed with negative tales. So, when a mail with the words “uber” and “driver” hit my box, I remembered him and spared a thought for existing drivers who are on the app but know little of what they are actually exposed to and other information they need to evaluate performance and what not. Below is the press release I have reproduced for existing and potential drivers, fleet owners, private vehicle owners, riders and the whole gamut of Uber partners/clientelle.
“It was easy to work with the first handful of drivers when Uber first launched in South Africa in 2013 but as we have launched more cities and grown in popularity across Africa it is important that every driver using our app understands our processes and we communicate in a consistent and transparent manner.
Sometimes we have to restrict a driver’s access to the app but when that happens, even for a short period of time, it affects their earnings. So it’s extra important we make our policy clear.
We’ve heard from drivers in the many focus groups we’ve held across Africa in recent months that they would like to know more about why deactivation might happen and how they can try to get access again. So we are publishing our Driver Deactivation Policy to demystify the process and provide clarity to drivers.
The Driver Deactivation Policy is designed with the best interests of drivers and riders in mind. It covers, among other items, issues that relate to quality, fraud, safety and discrimination such as:
Quality
The higher the quality of the service, the more riders want to take trips, which in turn means more opportunities for drivers to earn money. After every trip, riders and drivers rate each other with a star rating out of five – if that score is consistently low there is a problem. We also consider how regularly drivers cancel trips after accepting a booking as this leads to a poor experience for riders.
Fraud
Fraud is bad for any business, so to keep riders coming back and to keep drivers driving, it’s important that services are fair and honest. That includes drivers understanding it is unacceptable to intentionally increase the time or distance of a trip.
Safety
Uber is committed to the safety of both riders and drivers. This includes respecting each other’s privacy – so not contacting each other except through the Uber app – and obeying the laws of the road.
Discrimination
Uber will not tolerate discrimination of any sort, against riders or drivers. That includes race, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, gender identity or age. On the side of the driver, this also includes respecting the transportation of people with disabilities, including service animals.
By maintaining high standards, riders will return time after time and drivers will keep as busy as they want. The Driver Deactivation Policy helps to ensure the best possible experience for everyone.”
This is the most we’ve heard from Uber after the Lagos state government came up with an old law it thought wise to enforce where (Uber) drivers had to register their cars with the state government for N100,000 and charging Uber with a N600m licensing fee debt.
