Uber in Mauritius: taxi drivers divided

The establishment of the Ala-lila platform, backed by Uber, is setting the taxi sector in Mauritius alight. Drivers show their support for the service, while others denounce unfair competition and take legal action.

The establishment of the Uber platform in Mauritius continues to spark lively debates within the taxi driver profession. While a group of drivers recently met in Port-Louis to show their support for the application after almost a month of use, others, not registered on the platform, denounce unfair competition and have taken legal action.

For supporters of the service, the observation is unequivocal: Uber has profoundly transformed their daily professional lives, in particular by reversing the traditional logic of customer research. Asraf Ramdin, secretary general of the General Taxi Owners Union (GTOU), summarizes this development by emphasizing that the service has “transformed” the lives of taxi drivers, to the extent that they no longer have to go looking for passengers, but are now approached directly by them.

“Taxi drivers who have opted for this service see their business doing better and it is a win-win situation between members of the public and taxi drivers,” he says.

According to him, some drivers saw their turnover double, or even quadruple, in the space of a single day. The platform would also make it possible to apply fixed and transparent rates, thus preventing customers from “the impression of being ripped off by an exorbitant price which does not do honor to the family of taxi drivers”.

On the ground, testimonies abound in the same direction. Irfaan Gopaul, a driver using the platform, explains that previously, he had to physically go to a taxi rank to find customers. “Now it’s the work that comes to me,” he sums up.

He also raises the issue of empty journeys, which used to be frequent: “Before, when we took a ride at the taxi plaza, we returned without passengers to our initial place of departure. Which is not the case now. No matter where we are, we can be asked to do another errand and, in a short time, we can cover our costs in a day’s work,” he explains.

Finally, he highlights the price transparency offered by the application: “Through the application, prices are calculated in advance, which is to the advantage of both drivers and passengers.”

Another driver, Ashven, indicates, according to feedback from passengers, that they now prefer to be picked up directly from their home, rather than having to go to a taxi place.

This positive picture is far from unanimous. KaYee Leung, chairman of the Taxi Operators Welfare Fund, recently accompanied four drivers to a meeting with Land Transport Minister Osman Maho