Uber introduces ChapChap Priority for faster driver matching at Ksh.110 extra

Ride-hailing platform Uber has announced a new service that lets customers pay Ksh.110 more per trip “to increase the likelihood and speed” of matching to a driver.

Dubbed ChapChap Priority, the service will only be visible during high-demand periods, according to the company’s head of East Africa Imran Manji.

“Uber has made these pricing updates to ensure that drivers continue to have the opportunity to maximize their earnings while driving on the Uber app and at the same time, remaining at an affordable price point for riders,” Manji said in a statement.

Uber drivers get the choice of opting in to earn the additional amount on top of the regular fare, he added.

The move follows recent protests by local digital taxi drivers who complain that the prices per kilometre on the taxi-hailing apps have gone down despite skyrocketing fuel prices and the cost of living.

It has led drivers to charge higher fees than the rates listed by platforms, as well as reported cases of passenger harassment.

The American company said ChapChap Priority is part of measures it had taken to boost driver earnings in response to the complaints, alongside increasing the base fare by 10 per cent to Ksh.220.

“We have an ongoing driver rewards program which includes cash bonuses and we aim to reduce driver operating costs through initiatives such as third-party partnerships with vehicle maintenance companies,” Manji added.

Kenya’s digital taxi services market comprises Uber, the Kenyan-owned Faras and Little, Bolt from Estonia and the Indian mobility company Yego.

Faras last week announced it had set the minimum cost for rides at Ksh.240.