Updated:Using Uber In Kampala – Uber Is Subsidizing The Service

This week I’m in Kampala for work, and with a lot of meetings lined up, I have had 4 options for transport:

1. Hire a driver daily for two weeks. Why not hire a car?Well, while Kenyans can drive in Uganda for up to 6 months with the Kenyan driver’s license, I do not feel well equipped to drive on Kampala roads. If you think Nairobi drivers are crazy, then there is no word for Kampala drivers and boda boda (motorcycle) riders. I am convinced that Kampala doesn’t have directional lanes or traffic rules, everyone just drives as they please.
2. Hail a taxi whenever I need to go for a meeting. I did this for the first half of the day – used the hotel taxi.
3. Use a boda boda, which is the most popular way to get around town because you get to beat traffic. Because of (1) above, I am terrified at the idea of weaving through unruly traffic on a boda, especially because in Kampala, the rider wears a helmet, but passengers don’t!
4. Use Uber. Uber is about a month old in Kampala (Uberx to be specific),and though there have been complaints on social media, I thought to give it a try, and these are my observations having used Uber for 2 days, a total of 4 rides. In Nairobi, I use Uber mostly. I’ve also tried Mondo Ride. Update: In the 2 weeks, I took a total of 23 Uber rides. 

It is really really cheap!

I realized this when I took a rather short first ride to test it out. The distance was 1.2km (do not judge me, I was in heels), and my bill came to UGX 5,000, about Kes 166. Uber Kampala has a base charge of UGX 1,300; about Kes 40 compared to Kes 300 base charge in Nairobi, and UGX 5,000 was the minimum fare.

However, even on longer trips, the cost is quite reasonable.

Trip 2 (off peak morning). This was at about 6:45am, and traffic had not built up. I paid UGX 11,600 for a 6.74km, 22 minute trip (Kes 354) . In comparison, this is like taking a cab from Westlands to Nairobi West using Uhuru Highway.

Trip 3 (peak evening). In the evening after my training I did the same trip, this time in peak traffic, and because my driver tried to avoid traffic, the trip was 8.29km, took 28 minutes and it cost me UGX 14,800 (Kes 451).

This is crazy cheap. I am not sure what the boda boda business model is, may be they are just as cheap, but I forgot my laptop at the training venue, and my host sent a boda to drop it off at my hotel at off peak. I paid UGX 20,000 for this. It might have been cheaper to take an Uber to pick it up, but I was tired.

The cars are older

Uber has gone with a different strategy in Kampala. Instead of recruiting new drivers, they have started by enlisting existing cab drivers.  I figure this is to mitigate against the kind of violent resistance Uber experienced in Nairobi.

The older cars mean a less glamorous experience, but have you seen the price up there?! All worth it.

Network issues abound

Generally, Kampala has slower internet than Nairobi, and it seems mobile internet is even worse. One of my drivers couldn’t start his trip until about 500 metres in, because internet failed I had to play the role of co-driver-helping him restart the gadget and get internet working as he drove. It failed once again during the trip, yet he was relying on it for directions.

As Uber expands to more African countries, they may want to think about an Offline version of their system, especially maps and billing.

Peculiar Ugandan behaviour

When I asked my driver how business had been so far, he had interesting insight. While they are getting more rides than they did before, many of the people who are booking rides are doing so to test if the service works, then when the driver arrives they tell him that they were just testing!

Interesting use of money, considering that Uber charges a ride cancellation fee!

One thing though, I forgot to ask about payment options. I’ll do so tomorrow morning and update this article. I used my account which is connected to my Kenyan credit card and it worked great.

Updates

I ended up using Uber daily for the two weeks I was in Kampala, and it was mostly great. A few observations:

• The app does not work very well. Each time, it informed me that my driver had arrived while the driver was even 20 minutes away. This translates to quite a bit of wasted time especially if you’re on a tight schedule.
• Some drivers misinformed me about their locations when I called to ask how far they are. In two instances, I had to cancel the cab request, though I was not charged for this.
• Uber in Uganda takes cash and card. I used my Barclaycard seamlessly there.
• I got an explanation for the unbelievably low fares: Uber is doing this to get more people to use cabs in Kampala, and they will revise it upwards. I did wonder if the drivers make any money off the service, and one driver revealed that Uber subsidizes the service, and pays the driver extra cash depending on how much time they’re online on Uber. My favorite driver told me he prefers normal cab to Uber, the former is more profitable for him.

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