Yango passengers question drivers using app to push up costs

What was supposed to be an N$40 Yango ride ended with a passenger saying she watched the fare continuing to climb after she had already reached the car.And for Windhoek Yango users, experiences like these are raising questions about the app’s waiting-time system and whether passengers are sometimes being charged for delays that are not their fault.Albertina Imalwa said she experienced this on 11 September when she requested a ride from Otjomuise to Venus Gym in Pioneerspark.The app quoted her N$40. Imalwa said she kept the Yango app open while waiting for the driver outside her residence. When the driver arrived, she walked to the car and got in, but something immediately caught her attention.“I’m used to getting a notification from Yango telling me the ride has started,” she said. But that notification never came.Imalwa said she initially assumed the driver had simply forgotten to start the trip. She only became concerned when the three-minute free waiting period ended and the fare increased by N$5. She then took a screenshot of the original fare. The driver started the trip shortly afterwards.Because Imalwa was paying cash, she was able to avoid paying the increased amount. She handed the driver N$50 at Venus Gym and received N$10 back, effectively paying the original N$40 fare.She said she could not determine whether the delay was deliberate or a technical hiccup.After exitingAnother Yango user, who asked to remain anonymous, described a similar and even more costly experience.The passenger had selected card payment and was dropped off at her destination. Minutes later, she discovered that the driver had still not ended the trip. Instead, according to the passenger, the driver continued driving around while the trip remained active on the app.She called the driver and asked him to end the ride. By then, the amount shown was N$37 more than the expected fare. The experience left her questioning how easily a trip can become more expensive once a passenger has already left the vehicle.Ester Nganga said she has also encountered problems with Yango payments. She alleged that some drivers have told her they do not want card payments and asked her to pay through eWallet instead. She said doing so can leave passengers with additional bank charges that is not covered by Yango.Nganga said she now takes precautions whenever she requests a ride. “I always share my ride,” she said. “If the driver wants me to do an eWallet while it’s a card payment, I threaten to report to Yango.” She also said she cancels when a driver starts the waiting time before reaching her location.Driver controlledYango’s driver-side process appears to give drivers significant control over trip stages. A driver interviewed for this story said the free waiting period begins after the driver marks themselves as “arrived”. The driver said a trip can therefore begin accumulating waiting charges if a driver marks “arrived” before actually reaching the passenger.The driver also acknowledged that if a driver fails to end a trip after dropping off a passenger, the fare can continue increasing as the vehicle moves away from the destination.Yango’s Namibia support information states that users can contact support when a ride never takes place despite being charged. The company also advertises both cash and card payments in Namibia. Users are also able to request refunds through customer support on the Yango app.For other passengers, the advice from these experiences is to always watch the fare, screenshot the original price and report questionable charges through customer support on the app.

Yango passengers question drivers using app to push up costs

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-06

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Yango passengers question drivers using app to push up costs

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-06

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