Here’s why W Cape meter taxis are angry with Uber

This piece is written by an 'Anonymous Metered Taxi Driver' and submitted to Fin24.

The media and certain government departments would like to paint the picture that legal metered taxi operators are upset with Uber because they (Uber) provide a superior service at a lower rate.

This couldn’t be further from the truth! In fact, their “superior service and lower rates” are exactly the lies they use to trick their customers into supporting their illegal operations...

When Uber first arrived in Cape Town I was serving on the then government funded and endorsed Western Cape Metered Taxi Council (WCMTC) which has since been dissolved as a result of government not doing its job. 

I personally (and I know of other executive members) approached Uber and expressed my support for the app and acknowledged the technology. 

I also expressed our willingness to support Uber and make use of what is a brilliant app on the condition that they (Uber) only use metered taxis as the service they render would be infringing on the metered taxi market.

READ: CT meter taxis want answers over 'illegal' Uber

Uber made it quite clear that this was not going to happen. We, the WCMTC, then turned to government and the City of Cape Town to assist the industry resorted to prevent what has now happened but unfortunately we were as successful back then as we are now in getting the authorities to listen to us.

Eventually through a string of backdoor meetings with the City of Cape Town and the provincial transport department, the National Land Transport Act of 2009 (NLTA) was amended to accommodate Uber with certain conditions. 

These include but are not limited to rendering the service from a specified address with a fixed radius, having fixed flag fall fee, charging a maximum rate per kilometre displayed on the operating licence, charging a fixed hourly rate for waiting time and the strict prohibition of time based tariffs or surcharging. 

Now looking at the typical Uber partner / Uber client transaction, the client will use the brilliant app to summon the closest cab (which coincidently is not at the specified address) and will not know what the journey will cost because the tariff is not fixed (Uber calls it surcharging) and you’re being charged for travelling time and since no one can know how long the journey will take to complete, no one can know what the charge will be. 

So given this, how can you be so sure that Uber is cheaper?

What’s happened since is that Uber partners were awarded 210 such operating licences (none of which are being adhered to), Uber admittedly has increased their partners to almost 2 000 in Cape Town alone and the authorities who issued these operating licenses has failed to regulate the operating licences they issued since all 210 operating licenses are still in operation even though Uber’s conditions for hailing clearly violates the operating license conditions but at least 557 Uber vehicle has been impounded for operating without an operating license...

READ: Cape Town clamps down on Uber, impounds 300 cars

While the City has been filling its coffers for hosting Uber, more than 4 000 people are about to lost their jobs and livelihood in the legal metered taxi industry.

So dear reader, our gripe is not that Uber is cheaper or better. Truth be told, it’s a brilliant app and I hope that more such apps become available since I believe that all metered taxis across the world will soon use similar apps but we simply cannot understand why all road based transport for reward vendors (meter taxis, minibus taxis and Uber) are being dealt with in the same manner. 

Does a brilliant app like Uber’s really put them above the law? Why is Uber being allowed to transgress the law and even amend the law? Metered taxis and minibus taxis are highly regulated and so it should be! 

The MEC Donald Grant will claim that regulation is being done. To you MEC Grant, I can only ask where, if Uber is still conducting business as usual and illegal metered taxi operations continue to exist as it has for many years. 

READ: 'We have failed to regulate Uber' - W Cape govt

I think the MEC is referring to the regulation of legal metered taxi operators as it is often easier to regulate someone who has something to lose, like an operating licence or vehicle as opposed to some who doesn’t have anything to lose like Uber.

For the reader I have a simple question - if you broke the law more than 2 000 times and were caught 557 times in one year, do you think government will be having meetings with you to see how they can assist you in not breaking the law next time? I seriously doubt it.