Data leak shows Uber risked lives of drivers
Uber very quickly started to make money in Johannesburg and Cape Town, a new leak of data from inside the company shows.
Business Insider reports that after arguing cash payments for taxis should be banned in SA, Uber had its own drivers accept cash.
Uber knowingly put its drivers at risk, according to a report drawing on the Uber Files, and that helped it to quickly go from subsidising its start-up operations in Johannesburg and Cape Town to making a profit – while those drivers got poorer.
According to a former manager, the company did so knowing that requiring drivers to hold on to cash would make them more vulnerable to being robbed.
A joint media investigation, dubbed ‘the Uber Files’, found company officials leveraged a violent backlash from the taxi industry to gain public support and evade regulatory authorities.
The investigation found that Uber’s subsidised drivers threatened the taxi industry, leading to violent clashes in cities.
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