The Western Cape E-Hailing Association has warned of a three day strike taking place at Cape Town International Airport and has listed health and safety as a grievance. Picture: Supplied
Cape Town - The Western Cape E-hailing Association (WCEA) has indicated a willingness to sit down with service providers and resolve "inhumane" issues affecting drivers.
A stayaway by e-hailing drivers came to an end at midnight yesterday. The action started on Saturday.
Association secretary Omar Parker said the organisation made their voices heard when they stopped operating at the Cape Town International Airport.
"One important achievement for us is that we've been able to wage a demonstration at an unusually restricted place, which falls under the national key point.
"We've been able to make the public aware of our plight at the appalling conditions under which we are working at the airport.
“Uber and Bolt have reached out to us and indicated that they are prepared to look at much better toilets.
“Uber indicated that they want to sit down and deal with the issues and see where they’ve gone wrong.
“We’ve been engaging for months … on the problems we face, like the smaller parking space, which causes fights among drivers trying to secure space. “It had become volatile, hence we decided to embark on the strike for the public to become aware of it.”
He said they were going to see how the meetings go and will then make an informed decision.
“We will decide collectively, if things don’t work in our favour we will then engage with our national fraternity with the view that should they not come to the table and deal with our reasonable grievances and demands then we will embark on a bigger action on a national level,” Parker said.
inDrive spokesperson Lineo Thakhisi said: “We understand the concerns raised by drivers and are committed to helping address them in a collaborative manner. Currently, inDrive is actively engaged in discussions with Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) and the WCEA to seek a resolution...
“inDrive remains dedicated to supporting driver-partners and passengers, as well as ensuring a sustainable and thriving e-hailing ecosystem in the Western Cape.”
Bolt Africa spokesperson Sandra Buyole said the company was aware of the issues presented by the association and respected every driver's right to protest.
"Bolt has been proactively working with Acsa and Cape Town International Airport to resolve this issue and will continue to engage with drivers to ensure they have a seamless experience when picking up trips at Cape Town International Airport."
Acsa said the grievances raised by the association were not directed at airport operations or the management at the airport.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za