Johannesburg: The e-hailing driver app Bolt says it has permanently blocked drivers who threatened and intimidated the drivers who opted to work during last week’s three day e-hailing strike.
Uber, Bolt, Didi and other e-hailing drivers had staged a massive strike, demanding fare increases and government regulation in the sector.
The strike came as drivers complained that they were not making profits since the price of fuel had surpassed R20 a litre from late last year.
Uber responded by increasing base fares for short rides but did not change its pricing model. Bolt increased its fares, by at least R1 a kilometre, and increased base fares across several ride categories.
The strike also saw an enormous increase in fares, with some rides paying up to four times more than the usual price as there were limited cars available during the strike.
In a communique sent to Bolt drivers on their driving application, Bolt said it had since permanently blocked drivers who it had documentary evidence that they had either intimidated or been violent towards drivers who operated during the strike.
Bolt said it respected the drivers’ right to protest and had not taken action against those who chose to do so peacefully.
“We have always appealed to drivers to do so legally, peacefully, and without impacting the rights of other drivers who choose to continue operating and earning an income.
“Bolt unequivocally condemns and will not tolerate any form of violence directed towards e-hailing drivers and passengers or other bystanders.
“We believe every South African has the right to earn a living and move around without risk of harm, intimidation or coercion, or fear of death or injury.
“No drivers have been blocked from the platform for exercising their right to protest this past week,” it said.
But, Bolt said it permanently blocked the drivers who were intimidating or violent.
According to various forums, some striking drivers were engaged in requesting rides from drivers who were operating. In one incident, an e-hailing motorist’s four tyres were slashed in Pretoria, while in another, in Soweto, an e-hailing drivers’ four tyres were stolen and another vehicle’s back window was shattered.
“Bolt can confirm that some drivers have been permanently blocked from using Bolt as a result of their own actions during this recent protest. They were blocked for these reasons: intimidating non-protesting drivers, threatening other drivers with physical harm, inflicting physical harm on other drivers or their property.
“These drivers were blocked because their actions were reported through the app, along with photographic or video evidence of their actions – no drivers were blocked without Bolt having clear evidence (on which) to base our decisions.
“We’ll continue to work on new features to improve driver safety on the platform and we’ll share more information about them when they are ready to be rolled out,” said Bolt.
Bolt has come under severe criticism in recent times after a woman was allegedly kidnapped and raped by a driver.
Bolt has also been criticised for failing to block or stop the prevalence of rented profiles on the service, an act whereby drivers use the identities of third parties to carry out e-hailing rides on the app.
Bolt drivers have also complained of not feeling safe on the app as they too say they have been robbed of money and their possessions by criminals posing as riders.
Bolt did not immediately reveal how many drivers it had blocked on its platform due to incidents related to violence and the strike last week.
IOL