Council targets InDrive, Tap & Go in latest blitz
BY KUDAKWASHE CHIBVURI
City of Harare is targeting InDrive, Bolt and Tap & Go, in its latest blitz to ensure the popular E-Hailing services pay to council and operate within the law.
Harare Mayor, Jacob Mafume, says the move is meant to ensure technological innovation operates within the law while contributing towards the city’s revenue and infrastructure maintenance.
Council has been targeting inDrive operators in recent weeks amid anger from residents who accuse the local authority of failing to deal with the capital’s wider public transport menace.
“InDrive is a passenger-carrying vehicle and passenger operators and other traditional taxis, traditional buses and traditional Kombis have been complying and there have pointed out the inconsistency in terms of application of the law as they relate to passengers and operators operating such businesses,” he said.
The City fathers said the existing legislation has failed to keep pace with the rapid rise of app-based transport.
“All e-hailing platforms are operating under the same law. There is no exceptionalism,” he said, naming inDrive, Bolt and Tap & Go among the platforms affected.
He said e-hailing vehicles are effectively passenger-carrying vehicles and should therefore be treated within the same legal framework as traditional taxis, buses and kombis.
“What is clear is there has been a legal lacuna in terms of how e-hailing services are handled in Harare and in Zimbabwe,” Mafume said.
“Our law has not caught up with the innovation that comes with the e-hailing services.”
Residents have also accused council of failing to resolve long-standing pirate taxi operations, with its sudden action against more convenient e-hailing services raising eyebrows.
The metropolis is now consulting Government and other stakeholders on a regulatory framework that would take into account international best practices, including developments in South Africa and other countries.
InDrive has filled a major gap in public transport by offering affordable fares and has become a popular option for many residents.
