Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

Charles has been an Uber driver in Nairobi for nearly five years. But the last couple of years have been hard, with stubbornly high gas prices eating into  his earnings.

In May, however, Charles, who requested to be identified only by his first name as he feared retribution from Uber, found a solution. Kenya’s Organization of Online Drivers (OOD) — a registered union with about 15,000 members — had begun circulating its own suggested fare chart, with rates that were at least 50% higher than Uber’s official fare. It allowed ride-hailing drivers to demand better rates from customers.

Charles now charges passengers according to the union’s chart, prioritizing customers who choose alternative payment methods like cash, or mobile banking services like M-Pesa that the app allows in Kenya. He actively turns down customers who want to pay using the Uber app.

He strategically places the laminated fare chart behind the driver’s seat and on the dashboard so customers are aware of the rates. Haggling with customers is not new for drivers in Kenya, but the union rate card has somewhat formalized higher fares, Charles told Rest of World . “We had been negotiating with customers before but this rate card became a unifying factor,” he said.

Initially, customers resisted paying the higher fares, Charles said. But now that the OOD’s rate card has become a common sight across Nairobi, passengers are used to it.

Justin Nyaga, chairperson of OOD, believes this is a form of peaceful pushback against Uber. “We tried to talk to Uber about adjusting the prices, but it was in vain, so we decided to take matters into our own hands to provoke them into discussing our terms and conditions,” he told Rest of World .

In a statement to Rest of World , Imran Manji, Uber’s head of East and South Africa, said that requesting payments above the app’s estimated rates is against company’s guidelines. “We encourage all riders to report such instances. We are currently reviewing the incidents reported to us,” Manji said.

Uber drivers around the world have complained about low earnings from the app, according to a 2023 report by Fairwork, a project at the Oxford Internet Institute that researches platform work. It seems natural for Kenyan taxi drivers to organize themselves and take this step so they can make a decent living, Mark Graham, director of Fairwork, told Rest of World.

“At the end of the day, these drivers need to cover the costs of their vehicles, fuel, and insurance,” Graham said. “They often have families to support and are frequently the primary breadwinners. If they find that Uber isn’t providing fair earnings, it’s only natural that they would organize collectively to ensure they can make a decent living.”

In September 2022, the Kenyan government removed its subsidy on fuel, which caused gas prices in the country to reach a record high. Even after the subsidy was reintroduced a year later, fuel costs in Kenya have remained high .

Uber’s fares have not kept up with this rise in costs, making it hard for drivers to make ends meet, Nyaga said. When Uber entered Kenya in January 2015, a liter of gas cost 94.06 shillings (73 cents). This month, it cost roughly twice as much.

Kenyan taxi drivers have held several protests in the past two years, seeking a reduction in commissions that Uber charges. In October 2022 , the company reduced its commission in Kenya from 25% to 18% following protests. This July, taxi drivers in Nairobi held a five-day protest against low earnings, and requested Uber and Bolt to increase fares.

“Uber regularly makes pricing updates to ensure that drivers continue to have the opportunity to maximize their earnings while driving on the Uber app and at the same time, remaining at an affordable price point for riders,” an Uber spokesperson told Rest of World in a statement. Uber last increased fares on August 19, the spokesperson said. “This was done after a careful review of market conditions as well as after receiving feedback from drivers during regular roundtable discussions.”

The OOD rate card is a boon to drivers, but passengers have been increasingly frustrated.

Duncan Ndung’u, a businessman in Nairobi who uses Uber frequently to take his children to school, told Rest of World he spends several minutes before each ride in heated negotiations with drivers

“Once I make a request, the drivers ask if I’m willing to pay more than the app suggests, and when I decline, I have to request two or three times before finding someone willing to shuttle me. It is time-wasting,” Ndung’u said. “Nothing frustrates me more than requesting a ride, only to spend the entire journey negotiating with the driver about adding something on top of what the app suggests.”

He said his Uber rating has fallen in recent days and suspects it is probably because of his refusal to give in to the drivers’ demands.

In the coastal city of Mombasa, several taxi drivers have moved to apps like Little Cab and Yego, which charge passengers higher fares and have lower commissions for drivers, Eric Mbaabu, organizing secretary for the All Coast Online Digital Cabs Accord, told Rest of World . The shift happened after various unions were unsuccessful in reaching out to Uber over pricing issues, he said. In June 2023, 600 drivers in Mombasa reportedly signed an agreement with Yego, which promised them lower commissions. ▰

Stephanie Wangari is a reporter based in Nairobi, Kenya.