South Africans Are Losing Patience with Uber
If things continue like this, the company just might lose its edge in the country.
Uber has long been one of South Africa’s most used ride-hailing platforms. Since launching in 2013, the company has reportedly grown to serve more than 1.4 million monthly riders and around 52,000 drivers nationwide. But despite its size, the company’s reputation among users has started to waver.
What used to feel like a premium experience slowly turned into something less dependable. And now, that simmering frustration seems to have reached a boiling point.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
A new wave of online reviews paints a troubling picture of how far Uber’s reputation has fallen in the country. On consumer complaints platform HelloPeter, more than 4,200 out of 4,821 reviews for Uber South Africa are one-star ratings, an almost unanimous outcry from users who say the service has declined sharply in quality, reliability, and safety.
The complaints range from unsafe driving and unexplained price surges to dirty or poorly maintained vehicles. Many riders say they’ve been charged for trips that never happened or dropped off far from their destinations. Others have accused drivers of gaming the system, like using extra phones left in cars overnight to cheat airport queue systems.
And then there’s the customer support problem, riders and drivers alike say their complaints often go unanswered or get met with automated replies. It’s no surprise, then, that Uber’s image in South Africa is taking a serious hit.
But this backlash comes at a crucial moment, just weeks after the South African government rolled out new regulations for ride-hailing services. These rules require all cars to be branded, properly licensed, and equipped with safety features like panic buttons. On paper, it’s a move to make rides safer and hold both platforms and drivers accountable. For Uber, though, it’s also an opportunity, or at least, a chance to start fixing what’s broken.
To be fair, Uber hasn’t completely ignored the growing dissatisfaction. In recent months, it has introduced new safety features and even launched “Women Rider Preferred”, a program that allows female riders and drivers to match with one another — a much-welcomed step in a country where safety is a real concern. But clearly, that hasn’t been enough to rebuild trust.
Competitors like Bolt and inDrive are already capitalising on Uber’s missteps, with some users saying they find Bolt slightly more reliable. If Uber wants to keep its lead, the company will need to go beyond incremental fixes and truly address the daily frustrations that are pushing South Africans away.
The good news? There’s still time. With tougher regulations in place and renewed scrutiny from users, Uber has a clear roadmap for what needs to change. The question is whether it will take this wake-up call seriously before its once-loyal riders permanently switch apps.
Kelechi Edeh
