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- Uber and Bolt drivers embarked on a strike on Wednesday, demanding lower commission charges and higher rates for drivers.
- Drivers complain that they are earning less on rides and that the city's metro police are impounding vehicles due to a backlog in permits.
- In Gauteng, a strike was averted after Uber and Bolt agreed to meet with drivers this week.
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Uber and Bolt drivers started a strike in Cape Town, demanding lower commission charges and higher rates for drivers.
The strike started on Wednesday and is set to continue through Thursday. The drivers went to the Bolt offices in Cape Town on Wednesday to submit a memorandum of demands.
On Thursday, drivers will submit a memorandum to the office of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, demanding that the city expedite the permitting process for e-hailing drivers and to protest alleged racial profiling of drivers and passengers by metro police.
READ | Uber to meet with Gauteng drivers, govt about pay - after three fare hikes this year
Western Cape E-Hailing Drivers' Association chairperson Siyabonga Hlabisa told Fin24 that partner drivers were striking for a better payment system that would raise the income of drivers.
"The main concern is the issue of the commission that we have requested Uber reduce to 10% [from 25%]." Hlabisa said drivers wanted the platforms to consider increasing the per kilometer rate of payment or changing the payment model such that drivers receive R10 per kilometer.
READ | Uber 'unlikely' to ditch 25% commission it charges SA drivers
Uber has already increased its fares three times this year to compensate for higher fuel costs. Bolt has hiked its fares by 20%.
Hlabisa says the drivers are also concerned about their safety, and wants Uber to stop deactivating drivers.
"Tomorrow we will hand a memorandum to the mayor of the city. We have been having meetings with the city to resolve the issue of backlogs on the permits. We wanted to put a moratorium on impounding vehicles," Hlabisa said.
Some drivers, who are not part of the unions, have not gone on strike on Wednesday.
Hlabisa said the drivers have given platforms 14 days to respond to their demands.
READ | Uber appoints new regional general manager
On Tuesday, Uber and Bolt representatives met with drivers in Gauteng to discuss possible changes to their pricing. The meeting, which was facilitated by the provincial government, will be followed up with separate gatherings later this month for Bolt (25 August) and Uber (26 August).
The talks followed a decision by the Gauteng e-Hailing Partners Council to abandon plans for a strike to protest their low earnings.
