Uber ventured into the Kenyan market slightly over two years ago and recently it has not been a smooth ride. It started with the traditional taxis having a feud with Uber and the reduction of fares by 35% in Nairobi which prompted a strike recently that was captured in social media.
The biggest problem with the latest strike is that the drivers lamented about the reduced earnings and now it looks like Uber Kenya has finally responded by sending messages to its partners of the increased fares.
We contacted dnkariuki on Twitter who tweeted about the change and he gave us what the message from Uber said.
We have always promised to closely monitor driver-partner’s economics; keeping cognisant of how inflation and fuel prices can affect those using our app. We continue to stand by that promise because Uber succeeds when our partners succeed. That is why tomorrow 16th March at 11 am, we are raising our prices in Kenya. The new prices in Nairobi shall be: KES 100 base fare, KES 42/km, KES 3 per minute and minimum fare of KES 300. Thank you.
At least one other driver partner has confirmed to us about receiving the same message.
The new rates are up significantly from the ones they announced on July last year where the base fare was KES 100, KES 35/km, KES 3 per minute and a minimum fare of KES 200. However, the new rates are not as high as the original UberX prices where the base was KES 100, KES 4 per minute, KES 60 per kilometre and minimum fare of KES 300.
*UPDATE*
Uber has confirmed this in a press release and added details about the changes for both Nairobi and Mombasa. This was part of their statement:
This is why today we are raising our prices in Kenya. We believe driver partners will earn more as a result of these changes and that riders will continue to enjoy access to a safe, affordable and reliable service. Uber works when both riders and driver partners are benefiting. Riders need safe, reliable transport and drivers need to keep earning. We believe that riders and drivers should have transparency and certainty around prices so that they can make informed choices about when and how they use Uber.
The new fares for Mombasa clients will be a base fare of KES 70, KES 42/km, KES 3 per minute and a minimum fare of KES 200. This is an upward adjustment of the previous fares in Mombasa which were a KES 50 charge for base fare, KES 35/km, KES 3 per minute and a minimum fare of KES 150.
You can check out the comparison between Uber’s pricing and other players in the industry here.
