‘Uber Eats drivers in South Africa are being banned from the app due to power outages’ 14 June 2023

For five years, Lovemore Moyo spent more than 12 hours a day making up to 20 food deliveries for Uber Eats in Johannesburg. However, one afternoon in January, while he was hurrying to reach a customer on time, the app suddenly locked him out. Moyo’s error was using Google Maps to navigate to the customer’s location after the Uber Eats in-app map malfunctioned, he told Rest of World. “I was blocked because the app failed to trace my movements while using an alternate GPS,” Moyo said. “In such cases, they suspect us of stealing the food.” Uber says drivers on the platform are allowed to use both the in-app map and Google Maps, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the app’s functionality. “Uber Eats does not arbitrarily deactivate delivery people,” a company spokesperson told Rest of World. But drivers claim that going off the app to use other GPS tools directly triggers the permanent blocks. Due to the theft and damage of cellphone tower batteries, which enable the towers to maintain power during prolonged load-shedding or controlled blackouts, the towers are ineffective and often turned off. This can result in malfunctions with the Uber Eats map.

…Numerous other Uber Eats drivers in Johannesburg have encountered temporary or permanent bans from the app in recent months, due to issues stemming from South Africa’s severe power crisis. Despite the challenges, customers continue to expect timely deliveries, and Uber Eats remains steadfast in adhering to its regular community guidelines. “At Uber Eats, late deliveries are punishable offenses, drivers may be suspected of stealing and blocked for life,” Uber Eats driver Edward Mlilo told Rest of World. Mlilo is part of a WhatsApp group for Uber Eats drivers in Johannesburg, which has over 140 members…In an email to Rest of World, Uber Eats said it adheres to strict community guidelines. “We want every experience on the Uber Eats platform to feel safe, respectful, and positive, and we developed our policies with this in mind,” said Lorraine Onduru, a regional spokesperson for Uber. “Delivery people losing access to their accounts doesn’t happen often. When it does, we know it can be very stressful and disruptive. So, we’re dedicated to reviewing each report fairly and promptly.”

…Kiza said he sent at least five complaints through the app’s help section but did not receive any assistance. “Sending messages to Uber on the app is the same as reporting to a robot because no one ever responds except for a few automated responses,” he said. “My gig is everything to me. Losing it would be the worst nightmare.” Uber’s spokesperson said the company launched a “Deactivation Review Centre” program last year, which allows permanently banned drivers to request a review of their account. But for those like Phiri, the appeals process hasn’t worked. “Every day we hear of new drivers being recruited to the platform, Uber Eats only cares about getting profit. As long as it has new recruits, it cares less about us who are permanently blocked,” he said.