By peter oluka
Uber has reiterated that continually creating economic opportunities for driver-partners through technology remains one of its key priorities for West Africa for the rest of 2017, and in the forthcoming year.
This was shared at a media roundtable by Lola Kassim, the recently appointed general manager for Uber in West Africa.
“Uber’s business partnership approach provides an accessible means for driver-partners to not only supplement their own income, but also to become small business owners, thereby helping to improve the lives and futures of individuals, families and communities.
“In Nigeria, Uber has 267, 000 riders who actively utilize the app, and 7,000 driver-partners. In Ghana, there are 140,000 active riders and 3000 drivers signed up to use the App. The steadily growing number of Uber driver-partners in countries across the region is testament to the appeal of the model, because it creates real opportunities for local entrepreneurs. And as demand for rides also grows, so does the demand for driver-partners.”
Explaining further, she said: “With technology at its core, Uber also invests heavily in supporting its driver-partners in their businesses through ongoing innovation as well as physical presences in the form of support centres known as the Greenlight Hubs.
Apart from the existing Greenlight Hubs across Sub Saharan Africa, five more of these state-of-the-art Hubs were opened in Lagos, Kumasi, Dar Es Salaam, Nairobi and Kampala, this year and, in addition to offering driver-partners technical and app support, they also offer information sessions and tailored workshops to driver-partners, focusing on training and skills development.
In a move to further re-iterate its commitment to Nigerian driver-partners, Uber recently rolled out a number of powerful features that have made it even easier for driver-partners to choose when, where, and how they drive.
Uber also recently increased fares The new fare structure ensures that time spent in traffic is accounted for, providing driver-partners and riders with a more reliable experience.