The drivers want security policies within the county restructured to ensure proper tracking on insecurity cases/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 21- Nairobi online taxi operators are Monday set to meet Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi to discuss emerging security concerns impeding business in the sector.
Speaking to Capital News Beat, Head of Communication Digital Taxi Forum Ryan Kanyadong said the drivers want security policies within the county restructured to ensure proper tracking on insecurity cases.
“Some of our drivers face carjacking issues and the matters go unresolved since there is no proper tracking system that would reflect the entire process before the incident occurred,” said Kanyadong.
Recently, online taxi companies such as Uber have been forced to respond on passenger’s safety with the recent case in Mombasa where one of the drivers was accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year old boy.
In February, an employee of a company based at the Nation Centre, Mildred Odira went missing after hiring a taxi to take her to hospital in Nairobi and later found dead at City Mortuary with her body having deep cuts on the forehead, neck, and navel.
Commenting on the ongoing strike by a section of taxi drivers operating under taxi-hailing firms in Nairobi, Kanyadong will continue until a Memorandum of Understanding signed in July 2018 is implemented.
“There is hope so far since we received an audience from the transport ministry and we also hope that CS Matiang’ i will be the mediator of the matter otherwise we will not report to work until the matter is solved,” he added.
Under the agreement, taxi-hailing firms were to review fares upwards to cushion operators from high operating costs.
The taxi drivers demanded the rates be reviewed to match their equals in Mombasa County.
“The online taxi drivers recommend the rates be revised to revised between Sh48-55 per km for 1300 cc and below cars in line with AAK recommendations of 45/- per km,” said Kanyadong during a phone interview.
In Mombasa, the County Government in Mombasa intervened in the matter hence resolved for good rates where now Uber and Bolt charge Sh45 per Kilometer whereas in Nairobi Uber charges Sh16 per kilometer and Bolt, formerly known as Taxify chargers Sh14 per Kilometer for 1300cc (Cubic Centimeters) vehicles and below.
