Kenyan digital taxi drivers threaten to switch off all mobile apps

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 18- The Digital Taxi Forum (DTF) Friday threatened to switch off all E-hailing apps within seven days should the government fail to gazette the Digital Taxi Regulations (TNC Rules 2022) which had been passed by the Senate in 2019.

If passed, the regulations which had been proposed by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) would among others, prohibit digital hailing service operators from charging a commission of more than 15 percent.

Speaking at a press conference, Secretary-General (SG) of DTF Wycliffe Alutalala stated that the failure by the Transport Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia to gazette the Digital Taxi Regulations had led to serious suffering of drivers and car owners who have for long decried unfair regimes by the international ride-hailing firms.

“It is unfortunate that one year down the line, CS Macharia has either refused, neglected, declined, or ignored to gazette the Regulations for reasons best known to himself,” lamented SG Alutalala.

“We hereby issue a 7 days’ notice to the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Transport, James Macharia to Gazette the Digital Taxi Regulations. In the absence of the gazettement, we issue a notice of countrywide boycott and switch-off of all apps namely Uber, Bolt, Little Cab, and any other apps operating in Kenya,”

Further, he reiterated that “the strike, once it begins, will continue indefinitely until the regulations are gazetted,”

 Pauline Njeru,  Partners Representative of DTF said “the longer the regulations stay gazetted, the harder it is for drivers to operate and for Kenyan investors to back local E-hailing apps as they cannot compete with the low prices offered by Uber and Bolt.”

“We SG encouraged fellow drivers and car owners countrywide to prepare for a long switch off and to keep off the road during the period of the strike.,” he said.

If passed, the law would also require international digital taxi firms to set up a subsidiary in Kenya and pay an application fee of Sh500,000 and an annual renewal fee of Sh300,000.

Uber and Bolt, through a letter to the Ministry of Transport dated 29 November 2021 had objected the capping of commissions at 16 percent noting that it was “discriminatory and disincentivizing to investment in the industry.”