City taxi drivers now demand talks over Uber
Taxi drivers have given the government seven days to resolve the stalemate between them and the new entrant, Uber.
The drivers have asked for negotiations over Uber’s entrance into the market and have threatened to hold a “massive demonstration” if their demands are not met.
On Wednesday they said Uber was driving the 15,000 traditional taxi drivers out of business as cars belonging to the rival made more trips, were readily available and their rates were far much lower.
ATTACKING UBER DRIVERS
Mr Ashford Mwangi, the spokesperson for United Kenya Taxi Organisation denied reports that its members were attacking Uber drivers and vehicles.
“We are not at war with any transport service provider like it has been reported in media. We are fighting the strategy that Uber is using to gain monopoly of the market,” Mr Mwangi said.
He added that the organisation was not consulted before Uber was allowed into the Kenyan market.
“We have loans to service, families to feed, children to educate and other responsibilities and we are not ready to abandon the industry to a foreigner,” he said.
The drivers said nobody had been arrested yet in connection to said vandalism of Uber vehicles.
They said the photo of the vehicle vandalised, which was circulating on social media in fact belonged to one of their members in Lavington.
BIG FISH
The drivers accused Uber of destroying property in order to seek sympathy from Kenyans.
“We are not fighting Uber drivers. In fact, some of them used to be our colleagues. Our problem is with the big fish, the investors who want to paint Uber drivers as more professional than us,” Mr Mwangi said.
The organisation also promised to come up with its version of Uber and promote it all over the country.
