Permit rules test Namibian e-hailing sector

Local carrier partners for the e-hailing platform Yango say they are under severe time pressure to ensure drivers comply with directives and regulations issued by the ministry of works and transport.

This comes as Yango Group’s head of public policy for Africa, Zanyiwe Asare, urged drivers and operators to comply with ministerial and government requirements following a directive by works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi requiring drivers using e-hailing platforms to hold valid public road carrier permits (RCPs).

“Yango is pro-compliance… compliance is compliance and it is non-negotiable,” Asare said at a press conference in Windhoek last week.

While Asare said Yango is unable to provide exact figures on how many individuals earn an income through the platform, she noted that “thousands of drivers” stand to be affected by the directive.

Concerns raised

Two weeks ago, Nekundi said Yango’s e-hailing platform allegedly enables illegal drivers to operate.

The minister said a test of the platform by ministry officials found every driver they contacted was operating without the required permits.

“We are not against e-hailing service providers. However, we will not ignore when laws passed by this House are ignored and not adhered to. On that we will not compromise,” he said.

“Each person transporting passengers is required to have a road carrier permit issued by the Ministry of Works and Transport in order to operate in the e-hailing sector,” he told lawmakers.

Keeping afloat

Josef Likoro, managing director of JTP Tours & Safaris, said his company is a relatively new carrier, with about 150 to 200 drivers active at any given time.

Likoro estimated that around 60% of his drivers are under the age of 25 and therefore do not qualify for the required RCP.

Filomine Naundjomba of the carrier Hannes & Eve Investments said they are aware of individuals who have financed their tertiary education through income earned as Yango drivers.

Both said they face challenges in ensuring driver compliance.

“Our challenge is that we have submitted 500 applications between August and December last year, and we have received 270 back,” Naundjomba said.

“We understand that they also have other work to do, and they can’t just drop everything for us, but maybe if the police had a specific office and the ministry [of works and transport] had a specific person who could be dedicated to processing our applications, the process could move quicker,” she said.

She added that delays were being experienced not only at the ministry but also in obtaining legally required police clearances.

Likoro and Naundjomba said the use of temporary permits, valid for 28 days and at a cost of N$850 per driver, is an expensive alternative.

“It can take six to nine months to get a permit, and in the meantime, you have to renew your temporary permit."

Neither are opposed to the proposed regulations, but Naundjomba pointed out that "it's not fair that we do the same business as taxis but are not regulated the same".

Likoro added:“It will be good to know that a driver is fit to transport passengers, but we will lose some benefits. If we have the same permits as taxi drivers, we will be subject to the same regulations and bylaws. There are some roads and places – like Independence Avenue and mall parking lots – where taxis are not allowed. And if we take people to the airport, for example, we would not be allowed to enter there."

Likoro recommended revisiting “old laws” to address the matter.

Dependable income

A Yango driver, Jeremia Kalumba, said he started using the platform after seven years as a taxi driver.

He said he can expect to earn roughly N$10 000 a month from providing the service.

“You also don’t waste as much fuel, because you are not just driving randomly. You go straight to the customer and drop them straight off,” Kalumba explained.

While Kalumba graduated with a degree in IT in 2018, he said the earnings from contracts and tenders in this field are inconsistent.

He turned to Yango to provide more stable income to provide for his three children. “I know most of us are unemployed, and for those people Yango is a good way to at least make some money,” he said.

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