The Uber has released a ‘deactivation policy’ to guard its business against erring drivers who might be sabotaging and shortchanging its operations.
For a while now, Uber has been coming up with policies to ensure it is abreast of issues and challenges that can affect the smooth running of its business.
According to the statement, the aim of the policy is “to provide reliable, affordable and safe transportation. This can only happen if there’s trust on all sides, where riders feel safe with their driver and where drivers feel safe transporting their passengers”.
Narrating the genesis of the policy, Uber said “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”.
Part of what might have bring about this drastic move is perhaps a scenario painted by Uber “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.
Uber said “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 Uber’s second year in Nigeria. The company has also extended its service to Abuja, Nigeria’s second largest city by business and commercial volume.
As regards the Lagos state government’s taxi policy that requires all taxi operators to be under a particular franchise, the company has not released any statement on it as to how it will affect its business and its rising profile of drivers.
