Ride-hailing drivers left alone at the wheel: Reflections from South Africa and Kenya

Elly Otieno; Malte Stein; Mohammad Amir Anwar

Ride-hailing drivers left alone at the wheel: Reflections from South Africa and Kenya

Elly Otieno, Malte Stein, Mohammad Amir Anwar

School of Social and Political Science

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

This chapter discusses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ride-hailing drivers in South Africa and some of the mitigation strategies adopted by drivers to overcome the loss of income and livelihoods. Drawing on 26 in-depth interviews with Uber and Bolt drivers in South Africa and Kenya, we show that in commoditised and market-mediated employment relations that characterise the ride-hailing sector, the risk is borne by labour who cannot work from home. We highlight African drivers’ discontent towards the ride-hailing companies and the states’ collective failure to offer any meaningful support for their livelihoods. We also outline the need for better regulatory systems that hold platform companies accountable and to protect workers in the Global South.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	COVID-19 in the Global South
Subtitle of host publication	Impacts and Responses
Editors	Pádraig Carmody, Gerard McCann, Clodagh Colleran, Ciara O’Halloran
Place of Publication	Bristol
Publisher	Bristol University Press
ISBN (Print)	9781529215885
Publication status	Published - 19 Oct 2020

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

gig economy
ride-hailing
Covid-19
collective bargaining
Uber
regulation
South Africa
Kenya
platform Economy
sharing Economy

Access to Document

https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/42662Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)

Cite this

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title = "Ride-hailing drivers left alone at the wheel: Reflections from South Africa and Kenya",

abstract = "This chapter discusses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ride-hailing drivers in South Africa and some of the mitigation strategies adopted by drivers to overcome the loss of income and livelihoods. Drawing on 26 in-depth interviews with Uber and Bolt drivers in South Africa and Kenya, we show that in commoditised and market-mediated employment relations that characterise the ride-hailing sector, the risk is borne by labour who cannot work from home. We highlight African drivers{\textquoteright} discontent towards the ride-hailing companies and the states{\textquoteright} collective failure to offer any meaningful support for their livelihoods. We also outline the need for better regulatory systems that hold platform companies accountable and to protect workers in the Global South.",

keywords = "gig economy, ride-hailing, Covid-19, collective bargaining, Uber, regulation, South Africa, Kenya, platform Economy, sharing Economy",

author = "Elly Otieno and Malte Stein and Anwar, {Mohammad Amir}",

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Ride-hailing drivers left alone at the wheel: Reflections from South Africa and Kenya. / Otieno, Elly; Stein, Malte; Anwar, Mohammad Amir.
COVID-19 in the Global South: Impacts and Responses. ed. / Pádraig Carmody; Gerard McCann; Clodagh Colleran; Ciara O’Halloran. Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2020.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

TY - CHAP

T1 - Ride-hailing drivers left alone at the wheel

T2 - Reflections from South Africa and Kenya

AU - Otieno, Elly

AU - Stein, Malte

AU - Anwar, Mohammad Amir

PY - 2020/10/19

Y1 - 2020/10/19

N2 - This chapter discusses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ride-hailing drivers in South Africa and some of the mitigation strategies adopted by drivers to overcome the loss of income and livelihoods. Drawing on 26 in-depth interviews with Uber and Bolt drivers in South Africa and Kenya, we show that in commoditised and market-mediated employment relations that characterise the ride-hailing sector, the risk is borne by labour who cannot work from home. We highlight African drivers’ discontent towards the ride-hailing companies and the states’ collective failure to offer any meaningful support for their livelihoods. We also outline the need for better regulatory systems that hold platform companies accountable and to protect workers in the Global South.

AB - This chapter discusses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ride-hailing drivers in South Africa and some of the mitigation strategies adopted by drivers to overcome the loss of income and livelihoods. Drawing on 26 in-depth interviews with Uber and Bolt drivers in South Africa and Kenya, we show that in commoditised and market-mediated employment relations that characterise the ride-hailing sector, the risk is borne by labour who cannot work from home. We highlight African drivers’ discontent towards the ride-hailing companies and the states’ collective failure to offer any meaningful support for their livelihoods. We also outline the need for better regulatory systems that hold platform companies accountable and to protect workers in the Global South.

KW - gig economy

KW - ride-hailing

KW - Covid-19

KW - collective bargaining

KW - Uber

KW - regulation

KW - South Africa

KW - Kenya

KW - platform Economy

KW - sharing Economy

UR - https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/covid-19-in-the-global-south

M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)

SN - 9781529215885

BT - COVID-19 in the Global South

A2 - Carmody, Pádraig

A2 - McCann, Gerard

A2 - Colleran, Clodagh

A2 - O’Halloran, Ciara

PB - Bristol University Press

CY - Bristol

ER -

Ride-hailing drivers left alone at the wheel: Reflections from South Africa and Kenya

Abstract / Description of output

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Work futures: Globalisation, planetary markets, and uneven developments in the gig economy

We endure because we need money: Everyday violence, Covid-19, and domestic workers in South Africa

Locked In, logged out: Pandemic and ride-hailing in South Africa and Kenya

Cite this