Digital Taxi Saccos In Kenya Give NTSA A Week To Compel Bolt To Comply With Regulations
Digital Taxi Saccos in Kenya have issued a one week notice to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to compel Bolt, (a digital taxi-hailing company operating in Kenya), to comply with regulations set earlier to govern the industry.
Addressing the media on Thursday, the Saccos led by their National Spokesperson Wycliffe Alutala said that Bolt has been notorious at ignoring the regulations gazetted on June 20, 2022, by NTSA which require that transport network companies and transport network service providers be licensed before their apps can be used in the country, and also to have physical offices and many other requirements.
‘We agree that Bolt has been licensed to operate in Kenya but it has not met all the sensitive regulations as gazzeted. For instance, it does not have a physical office where drivers can reach them in case of a complaint or compliment,’ Alutala said.
Alutala further said that Bolt have been exploiting drivers who also happen to be car owners at the same time through exorbitant commissions where they charge higher than the other taxi-hailing apps.
‘They are charging 29% commission way up from the NTSA capping of 18%. We have taxi-hailing apps in Kenya like Yego who hit the market recently but their commission is as low as 12%. We have no issues so far with such companies,’ the Sacco representatives charged.
Alutala called on Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to also revoke Bolt’s operating license in Nairobi up until they fully comply with the regulations.
‘This does not mean that all other licensed operators have fully complied with the NTSA regulations. We have others like Uber, Little, Farasi and Hava who have also not complied. We have serious issues with Bolt due to the fact that they even remove drivers from the app without prior notification,’ they further lamented.
‘They want you to take loans to buy a new car. Car owners have been taking loans from banks but due to frustrations and failure to pay back the loans, their cars have been taken back by the banks and some cars are even rotting in car yards,’ they said.
Further, Alutala said they want Bolt Owner Marcus Villig who is currently in the country to heed to their demands, accusing him of only meeting government officials to salvage his business at the detriment of drivers and car owners.
‘We ask government officials not to have a ‘handshake’ with Mr Villig Marcus. He must first see to it that what we are demanding for is fully met,’ Alutala said.
The Saccos representatives now want to seek audience with President William Ruto in a bid to vent their frustrations to him and as one way to have him help in solving the crisis.
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