Uber Evolve With Communities Need- Akinwumi
OLABISI OLALEYE
Country Manager for Uber Nigeria, Mr. Tope Akinwumi said that every innovation from the organization is wrapped around communities and drivers safety.
In this chat with Gtechnews, Akinwunmi explained this and more.
Akinwunmi
What is the essence of Uber Connect in Lagos and other cities in Nigeria?
We have launched Uber Connect in Lagos, which leverages the agility of Uber’s platform to efficiently send parcels and goods from one consumer or small business to another. Deliveries will be made by bike, which means that they will get from one user to another quicker, avoiding the traffic challenges often experienced in Lagos.
Do you plan to replicate it in the Northern states in future considering insurgents and others?
Before we launch a product in any market, we deep dive into the needs of consumers and the marketplace to assess the viability of the product. We also work with relevant stakeholders to ensure we follow the requirements of that city.
Having reviewed the need for efficient and reliable peer to peer delivery in Lagos, we then proceeded to launch the product in Lagos. We have successfully rolled out Uber Connect in other markets in Sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, demonstrating our ability to constantly reinvent our app as the needs of our communities change and evolve.
What is the economic strength of Uber in Nigeria?
Since our launch in 2014, we have played a key role as an economic contributor across Nigeria, we have created thousands of economic opportunities, especially in a region with the highest unemployment, and where traditional jobs continue to be shed. With the recent expansion to Port Harcourt and Ibadan, more economic opportunities are awarded to drivers.
No doubt Uber has eased movement around the world especially Nigeria, but this new service, how safe do you think it is owing to several factors including theft, area boys’ harassment?
Safety remains a top priority and Uber Connect follows all relevant safety protocols. In terms of personal safety, below are some of the innovative safety features in place:
Rider Verification/Rider Selfie: new cash riders without a valid credit card on file will now need to confirm their identity by linking to their social media accounts as well as take a selfie when they sign up
Tracking: Users can share the trip with their recipient so that they can track the trip in real-time. Drivers can also share their trip with loved ones.
Ride check: Uber has been developing technology that harnesses the power of GPS, along with other sensors from the driver’s Smartphone, to identify rare events like unexpected stops or possible crashes. In these situations, Uber can initiate a ride check by reaching out to both the rider and the driver to offer assistance.
Incident Response Team: located in cities around the world and trained to deal with any critical stress-free issues that arise and are able to connect with law enforcement if necessary.
Working with Law Enforcement: Uber has a team of former law enforcement professionals who are on call to work with police 24/7 to respond to urgent needs and walk them through how we can assist in an investigation.
To further bolster safety for drivers and riders, especially in the midst of the pandemic, Uber requires wearing of masks for all drivers, as well as the completion of a safety checklist which reminds drivers to wash their hands and sanitise their vehicles before starting a trip.
Is there any insurance put in place for these bikers since Nigeria’s version of Uber connect is the bike unlike what we have in Canada and the US?
Part of the driver on boarding process includes making sure that drivers sign up with commercial insurance. The safety of all drivers on the Uber platform remains top priority which is why we have Partner Injury Protection: where, in the unfortunate event of an accident or a crime-related incident resulting in an injury during a trip, drivers will be covered on the road. At no cost to them.
Is there any CSR that Uber Nigeria is involved with? Canada Uber pledged over $6M in free rides, meals, and food deliveries for Canadian health workers, seniors and the sick children.
Uber in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) has partnered with MasterCard to provide 120,000 free trips and meals to communities in need across the MEA region, including Nigeria.
In Nigeria, we partnered with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to provide food packages to school children and families within Lagos and Abuja. Free/discounted rides were also offered to MHA essential workers who are working to monitor and evaluate the pandemic.
What makes Uber unique considering that there are other competitors?
We know that we face significant competition across local transportation modes in Africa. These are vibrant and competitive with many viable alternatives, including ridesharing, personal cars, and public transportation which consumers can and do choose between.
Our celebration of investment into African cities is premised on a culture of collaboration with both national and local authorities.
This has allowed us to develop bespoke and localized solutions, to ensure that we act as part of a broader and responsible African community in the expansion of our business model in the region.
After we spent time researching the market and listening to the public’s requests for more options, we decided to introduce products that resonate with local markets.
We believe competition makes us better, which improves the service for our riders and earners alike.
As a global brand, we are able to bring in best practice leveraging our global scale and technology and apply it to the markets we operate in.
