Uber car torched in Nairobi
by Agency Staff,
2016-03-23 15:14:00.0
NAIROBI — Four men torched a car from the ride hailing company Uber in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday, police said, on the same day Uber launched its services in Mombasa, Kenya’s second largest city.
The driver escaped unhurt, police said. This is the second attack against Uber cars in Kenya in two months.
Uber drivers around the world have faced threats, protests and legal action from regular taxi operators, who say Uber’s cheaper fares and business model are driving them out of business.
In Kenya, regular cab drivers last month threatened to paralyse transport if the government did not ban Uber from Nairobi within seven days. The government refused, but said it was drafting new laws on the regulation of online taxi operators.
"The driver, sensing danger, escaped unhurt and four men torched the car," Japheth Koome, Nairobi’s police commander said.
In a statement e-mailed from Uber’s office in SA, the company said it was in "open dialogue" with the police over the attack.
The company now operates in nine cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, including in SA, Nigeria and Kenya.
An Uber driver was attacked and his car was torched in Kenya last month, unnerving many of the company’s drivers.
Reuters
The Uber logo is seen on a vehicle near Union Square in San Francisco, California. Picture: REUTERS/ROBERT GALBRAITH
NAIROBI — Four men torched a car from the ride hailing company Uber in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday, police said, on the same day Uber launched its services in Mombasa, Kenya’s second largest city.
The driver escaped unhurt, police said. This is the second attack against Uber cars in Kenya in two months.
Uber drivers around the world have faced threats, protests and legal action from regular taxi operators, who say Uber’s cheaper fares and business model are driving them out of business.
In Kenya, regular cab drivers last month threatened to paralyse transport if the government did not ban Uber from Nairobi within seven days. The government refused, but said it was drafting new laws on the regulation of online taxi operators.
"The driver, sensing danger, escaped unhurt and four men torched the car," Japheth Koome, Nairobi’s police commander said.
In a statement e-mailed from Uber’s office in SA, the company said it was in "open dialogue" with the police over the attack.
The company now operates in nine cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, including in SA, Nigeria and Kenya.
An Uber driver was attacked and his car was torched in Kenya last month, unnerving many of the company’s drivers.
Reuters
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