Government should be responsible for vetting Uber and Bolt drivers says PPTA

The Public Private Transport Association (PPTA) says the vetting of e-hailing services Uber and Bolt drivers should be done by the government to protect customers from criminals.

Vetting of drivers

In an interview with SAfm on Tuesday, PPTA spokesperson Vhatuka Mbelengwa said the vetting of drivers was currently done by the companies themselves. Despite this, there were still reports of customers being robbed during Uber rides, while female customers reported sexual harassment.

“The vetting of participants should be done by the state, not the e-hailing organisations themselves. Passengers assume that whichever platform they are using the company has all the details of the driver,” Mbelengwa said.

ALSO READ: Women’s only e-hailing ‘baby steps for SA economy’

Mbelengwa criticised some of the vetting processes by e-hailing companies, describing them as “lax”.

“It speaks to the agenda of exploitation. In my opinion, the less information we have on drivers the less they can hold us to account… I think this may end up with unfortunate or tragic situations taking place,” Mbelengwa said.

Here’s how you can help

Mbelengwa said it was important for passengers to use the star rating on the e-hailing apps, as this would help create a sense of good customer service from the drivers.

“There is not enough customer training when it comes to star training, so most people just press something and close the screen,” he said.

E-hailing companies have introduced certain measures that ensure customer safety, including an audio recording of the ride. In some instances, the driver has to keep taking a photo of themselve and load it on the app as part of the safety measures.

ALSO READ: Kunene says minibus taxis not to blame for attack on e-hailing cabs at Maponya Mall

Customers are also advised to send details of the e-hailing service ride they are taking to a loved one as part of safety measures.