24 May 2021, Dar es Salaam - Five years ago, Uber hit the streets of Dar es Salaam and since then has provided a solution for thousands of residents to get a ride at the push of a button and navigate their city in a safe and reliable way.
Over the past five years, Uber has been committed to using its platform to help unlock economic opportunities for drivers, while safety enhancing features for the community in adapting to current times. We have collaborated with the public sector by sharing global practices on ride-hailing, as part of our drive to be global in our approach, yet local in our execution, meaning we strive to take into account realities that affect the communities we live and work in.
Brian Njao, Head of Uber in East Africa explains, “Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic over the past year, Uber is committed to keeping riders moving and drivers earning and we continue to unlock opportunities through the Uber platform in Tanzania.”
In line with the mission of achieving mobility for all, Uber has introduced four unique travel options in Dar es Salaam since its launch in 2016. These include the popular UberX, and two years later, Uber localised its product offering to roll out UberBODA and UberPOA, connecting riders with convenient and affordable Tuk Tuk rides. Uber Hourly allows Tanzanians to book a driver partner and car by the hour to help get all their essential travel done in one go.
Additionally, to ensure that anyone can request a ride, Uber Lite was introduced in 2019, a light version of the rider app that has been built to work in areas with low connectivity, with any Android devices while saving storage space and data.
Improving safety in communities
From improving access to transportation, Uber introduced safety tools at users’ fingertips such as the Safety Toolkit. This innovative feature includes access to an in-app emergency button that connects the driver or rider to third-party security or medical assistance and Trusted Contacts that allow riders to share their trip status with up to five selected contacts.
Uber has further developed safety mechanisms in response to COVID-19, including a pre-trip safety checklist, world-first mask recognition technology and financial assistance to drivers who had been placed on quarantine by a medical professional.
Driver Forward
Since launch, Uber has provided earnings opportunity for over *2 000 driver-partners. At a time when we need more jobs, not fewer, we believe Uber and other platforms can be a bridge to sustainable economic recovery by providing a flexible and independent earnings avenue for Tanzanians.
About Uber
Uber’s mission is to help people get a ride at the push of a button - everywhere and for everyone. We started in 2009 to solve a simple problem - how do you get a ride at the touch of a button? With over 10 billion trips later, we’ve started tackling an even greater challenge: reducing congestion and pollution in our cities by getting more people into fewer cars. Uber is available in seventeen cities in Sub-Saharan Africa (Cape Town, Durban, Joburg, Pretoria, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), East London, Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Lagos, Abuja, Benin City, Abidjan Kampala, Accra, Kumasi and Dar es Salaam). Overall, the Uber network is available in over 600 cities in over 65 countries. To request a ride, users must download the free application for Android, iPhone, Blackberry 7, or register for Uber at www.uber.com/go. For questions, visit www.uber.com
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