12 Uber cars impounded during J&B Met; UberYACHT launched

Cape Town’s traffic department impounded 12 Uber vehicles during the J&B Met, one of South Africa’s most prestigious horse racing events of the year.

Following media reports of impoundments over January, Uber drivers, who spoke on account of anonymity, complained to Memeburn that they were unfairly targeted by metered taxi operators. During the Met, drivers had to pick up Uber users in residential areas around the Kenilworth Racecourse, as metered taxis barred Uber from parking outside the venue.

JP Smith, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, says as long as Uber drivers operate without licenses, the city will regard them as illegal.

Repeat offenders

Some Uber vehicles have been impounded for a third time, something Smith says “doesn’t even happen with minibus taxi operators”. According to Smith release fees increase with every impoundment meaning Uber have paid R17 000 to release those cars impounded for a third time.

Smith said metered taxis threatened by Uber should be the least of the San Francisco-based company’s worries. Complaints to the city were largely from Uber users upset by surge pricing during events such as New Year’s Eve and the Met. Similarly Cape Town’s “unhappy business community” complain that Uber drivers overstay their welcome at businesses waiting on clients and overuse facilities reserved for customers.

Uber vs. the City of Cape Town

Uber has become a hot potato for a city council trying to attract innovative businesses to the city whilst ensuring the happiness of some 3 000 metered taxi drivers outraged by what they perceive to be the city’s support of illegal taxis. The city’s message on Uber has been mixed ranging from Smith’s disinterest in meeting with Cape Town representatives to the Mayoral Committee Member for Transport Brett Herron’s support of the service that could “benefit the metered taxi environment”.

Read more: Disrupt and dismay: why Cape Town’s metered taxi operators are so upset with Uber

Meanwhile, Uber told Business Day an agreement was reached with the city allowing their “pro-choice” technology to operate in Cape Town. Both the city and provincial government jumped to deny such an agreement telling Cape Times two days later that no such deal exists.

Global outrage against Uber

Since the company’s launch in June 2010, Uber has been upsetting city councils worldwide by claiming to be a technology rather than a taxi service. Cities have responded in various ways, from amending bills restricting Uber, to slapping the company with cease and desist letters. Against this background the City of Cape Town’s response has been muted given that Uber had been operating in Cape Town for at least a year before things got heated.

Read more: The legal view: what actions can Uber take when it comes to its impounded vehicles?

Uber’s PR battle is an international one which, with the recent appointment of David Plouffe, is clearly taken seriously. As a former political strategist and advisor to Barack Obama, Plouffe is well-liked by both politicians and the media. Since his appointment in September, Plouffe has been responding personally to Uber outrages from as far afield as Australia.

The Uber message

Uber’s newly defined message is simple to understand, one which with this video is sure to win over politicians across Africa. Their message is now targeted towards legislators as they promise to 1) relieve traffic 2) create jobs and 3) break up the perceived monopoly of the taxi industry.

With Plouffe dealing full-time with regulatory issues, Uber can yet again focus on expanding its likeability and cool-factor. In Cape Town that means expanding UberCHOPPER and the introduction of UberYACHT, a brand-new experiment for the company that (despite asking for it) hasn’t been attempted elsewhere.