By Felix Nkinke

“I cannot partner with any of these taxi companies using Apps. They are not offering a fair deal to drivers,” said David Mwangala.

He added bluntly, “I am better off working as a pirate taxi man than joining these operators.”
Mr Mwangala, 55, has been a pirate taxi driver for most of his adult life.

Born and raised in the sprawling township of Bauleni, east of Lusaka, the father of five has crisscrossed the streets of Lusaka picking, and dropping off clients every day.

“That has been my life. I have worked for different car owners, but this far the money I make is enough to support my family and send my children to school,” a smiling Mr Mwangala said.

He continued that though it has been challenging working under his terms on meeting the weekly cashing target, it is better than the incentives being offered by ride-hailing operators.

However, some taxi drivers have a different view regarding the ride-hailing business. While they agree that ride-hailing operators are offering drivers a raw deal, they note that the new taxi business is better.
Many taxi drivers have embraced the rapidly growing App taxi business that has arrived in the country through technological innovation.

“This business is not new in Zambia,” said Drivern Taxis executive director Joseph Chikota, who is seemingly the pioneer of the ride-hailing business in Zambia

Driven Taxis introduced its App on the Zambian taxi market in early 2010 but fizzled out less than two years in operation.
“We used to run our taxis called London Taxis. There was a prominent feature around hotels and the international airport,” disclosed Mr Chikota.

Now, that the ride-hailing business has grown some players have entered the market.

A couple of months ago, Yango Taxi rolled out its App joining local operator Ulendo which has been in operation for over five years now.

The growing number of Taxi App operators is a testament that Zambia has potential for the ride-hailing business.
“Yes, there is potential for ride-hailing in Zambia because it is a new industry in the transport sector. One that has brought a lot of benefits to passengers and drivers,” agrees Mr Chikota.

During the launch in Lusaka, General Manager for Yango in Africa Adeniyi Adebayo also acknowledged that Zambia’s ride-hailing industry is destined to rapidly grow.

“Zambia has a growing, actively developing economy and there is a high demand for a modern ride-hailing service. We are convinced that people in Zambia will appreciate the ride-hailing service,” Mr Adebayo said.

The new industry already boasts of players like local startup Ulendo, Kenyan taxi-hailing App Little Cab, Tukuya taxi, which launched a couple of months ago, and Taxmania Taxi, soon to launch an App.

Ride-hailing taxi is a new transport subsector in Zambia quickly catching the attention of taxi hire enthusiasts in most cities and rural areas across the country.

“I am impressed with the coming of these taxi App operators. They are doing a great service. One doesn’t need to walk a distance to hire a taxi. You just download the App and you are good to go,” said Racheal Chiyokuma, a Lusaka resident.
Indeed, ride-hailing has quickly become very popular in Zambia.

The service refers to an act when a customer orders a customised ride online usually using a smartphone application, in essence, it is similar to a taxi service.

The customer orders the ride from a ride-hailing platform, a third party that mediates the service between the driver and the passenger.

“The way this service works is simple,” explains Olson Hatembo a ride-hailing taxi driver with Yango.
Mr Hatembo also explained that the drivers, or partners as they are referred to by some App operators, are the main actors and should be the key beneficially.

“We are at the centre of the entire business process. Without us, the App operators wouldn’t make money,” he said.
He further explained that the drivers provide the cars used.

“All we do is to register with the App service provider and download the App onto the smartphone. Then we are good to go. The payment is charged automatically and the income is shared between the mediator and us the drivers.

“We get a commission based on the amount of money one has made,” he said.

While some drivers have welcomed the App system in terms of doing business others have cited unfair trade practices by App service providers, especially with commission rates and payouts.

All the drivers have one unified position concerning the rider-hailing business. What they are paid from the signed agreements with the App service providers is not enough.

Most agree that the drivers, who are the owners of the cars used for hire, get a small percentage of the income generated.
“There is a raw deal here. Despite us being the owners of the cars, service providers get something between 10 to 15 per cent. This is also beside us using our fuel,” said Fred Mwela, Taxi App driver.

These sentiments are shared by many ride-hailing taxi drivers in the country.

They argue that App service providers are riding on their backs while getting the lion’s share of the cash.

They further say drivers have to contend with car maintenance and fuel costs yet they get a share of the cake not proportional to their input.

Recently, a meeting of Ulendo drivers was convened in Lusaka to hear their concerns following mounting competitive pressure being exerted by the arrival of other players on the market.

Insiders disclosed that at that meeting, drivers sought deliberations on several burning issues to even the playing field.
Most drivers across all ride-hailing service operators speak one voice regarding certain issues seen to be fuelling the unfair pacts between operators and drivers.

“Drivern Taxis is now back in Zambia,” said Mr Chikota, adding “We have looked at what is happening in the industry. We believe that drivers deserve more and that is our main objective.”

He added that under Drivern Taxis, the commission is pegged at five per cent, unlike other players whose rate oscillates between 10 to 15 per cent.

“We have also formed a cooperative for our drivers. Those that join us have the option to also become a member of the cooperative which has so many benefits,” the Drivern Director said.

He added that the ride-hailing business will impact positively on the taxi transport subsector and hoped the government will hastily address the bottlenecks around its smooth operation.

Mr Chikota pointed out that a lot of jobs, especially among the youth, have been created and the business has brought new taxi customers that would otherwise have never considered taking a cab.

A couple of weeks ago, Transport Minster Frank Tayali assured taxi App operators that the government will soon provide legislation on how the new industry would operate so that it contributes positively to development.

Concerns are being expressed that the current laws, which do not encourage ride-hailing in Zambia, might cause uncertainties regarding the future of the promising industry.

After a 5 year absence, the Zambian firm called Drivern technologies, which owns a load of London taxis in Lusaka plans to relaunched it’s mobile application dubbed ‘Driven App’.

Below was Drivern technologies’ 2017 pre-launch press release :

By AARON CHIYANZO

IT IS a well-known fact that hailing a taxi in Zambia can be hectic and difficult at times especially when someone is not too familiar with a particular place.

The same can be said when someone is looking for a cab after hours when they do not have contacts of any taxi driver.

We have also heard numerous reports of people being mugged because of being in a particular place at the wrong time without a proper way out.

A new Uber like mobile app, ‘Drivern’ has since been launched in Zambia to eradicate such challenges, and make ‘on demand’ public transport services easier and safe.

A Zambian firm called Drivern technologies, which owns a load of London taxis in Lusaka has launched this mobile application dubbed ‘Driven App’.

Drivern Technologies head of sales and Marking Precious Mwewa said that the Uber-like App is meant to ease on demand public transport challenges.

‘Drivern’, which actually works quite like Uber is a mobile software application for booking taxi cabs using your mobile phone.

People are to request for a taxi using their mobile devices from any location right using the app and the taxi driver is able to know the location without being told.

The App even provides customers with estimated fares and the details of the driver who is coming to give them a ride.

With this App, you never have to haggle with drivers on payments as the fare calculator produces a cost based on the departure and destination address through clear and transparent pricing.

“It doesn’t have ‘surge pricing’, meaning you’ll just have to pay whatever shows up on the app. When you launch the app to call a cab, a driver nearby sees your name and location on their device,” said Ms Mwewa.

This solution emerges from the need to move with global trends and provide a service that is not only safe for the commuters, but also provides commuters with more control and a more reliable experience than a typical taxi.

This is an app which will offer commuters a convenient On-Demand connection to more than 300 drivers in Lusaka alone in the initial stages.

The number of drivers is expected to grow as the App registers more users across the country after they understands its real benefits.

And Uber, operating in 570 cities worldwide has been a pioneer in offering a service that allows users to summon a taxi using the Uber software application.

The App is owned by a transportation network company, Uber Technologies Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States.

Uber drivers use their own cars, although drivers can rent a car to drive with Uber.

The Uber App software requires the drivers to have a smartphone and the users must have access to either a smartphone or the mobile website.

This has also been enjoyed in African countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Ghana.

In most cities, Uber offers upfront pricing where the rider is quoted the fare that he or she will pay before requesting the ride.

In some cities, Uber does not offer upfront pricing, but instead calculates the price of a ride similar to a taximeter where the rider is charged based on the time and distance of the ride.

Uber’s tracking isn’t going to prevent crimes but the idea of being tracked by GPS will deter some drivers from committing crimes.

In the normal course of business, drivers and riders know only each other’s first names. Riders get to know the cars, photos, and license plates of their drivers, too.

It’s all automatically recorded in the App. If a dispute arises, or an assault, Uber has a complete record of who was in the car, where the car went, and how long the journey was.

That’s much more identifying info than a taxi ride generates.

Another App like Zambia’s newly introduced ‘Driven’, is Kenya’s ‘Little cab’, which claims to already have over 1,500 drivers, 40 of whom are women, and over 2000 active customers since its pilot phase.

‘Little cab’ is already battling it out with Uber and Taxify, which has become a favourite amongst traditional taxi drivers looking to make the switch.

Uber style-on-demand taxi hailing App Waryaa Taxi was also launched in Somalia, allowing passengers to book taxis from their smartphones for the first time in that country.

Waryaa Taxi deployed a free web and smartphone application that connects passengers directly with taxi drivers.

And so it is hoped that ‘Driven App’ will be a life saver in Zambia and make on demand public transportation much easier.

The ‘Drivern App’ is available for download free-of-charge from an Android rider app for Samsung, Huawei or any other smartphone.

According to Drivern Technologies chief executive officer Joseph Chikota, commuters will have access to details pertaining to the car, driver and the estimated time of arrival for the driver right on their fingertips.

Mr Chikota said that the App is a solution that has already ensured that there is no more waiting by the roadside to flag a taxi or haggle for the fare.

“Drivern” will also be registering drivers as partners on the platform. Interested citizens will make available their cars to be booked on the App. Of course, cars and drivers will go through security screening in order to guarantee security and safety for the riders,” he said.

It is hoped that the solution will also assist in reducing traffic congestion in the city as local commuters now have a reliable public transport option for school runs, shopping, social life transport and even going for work with an option of car pulling.

Mr Chikota, who is a taxi driver, points out that Drivern is a Zambian registered company and a local investment focused on providing public transport service that is safe, secure for the local people and visitors to the country.

He said that the App is also aimed at elevating the commuter experience in public transport and providing a solution that is aimed at contributing to communities in the country through partnerships.

“Unlike the typical taxis on the market today, our focus is to significantly improve the taxi travel experience by partnering with fleets operators and individual drivers to offer riders a network of respected, established and safe public transport.

There is no double that “Drivern” is founded with the best interests of commuters, fleets, drivers and regulators in mind.

“The App will integrate and respect all road and transport regulations of the country. Riders can be rest assured that they are protected by all the industry’s consumer safeguards while experiencing a tech savvy service with secure online payment solutions. We’re raising the bar in the on-demand transport service market,” said Mr. Chikota.

Meanwhile, Drivern Technologies has been operating several London Taxis in Lusaka situated in strategic locations that include Hotels and Shopping Malls for the past year.

The London Taxis are luxurious, safe and can already be accessed by customers across the city using the “Drivern App”.

DAILY NATION

Environmental impact assessment

[Posted on 23 Jun, 2021 by Oxpeckers Reporters]

After exploration confirmed copper deposits in the Kangaluwi area, the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development awarded the company a mining licence on March 16 2012 – on condition that it submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) to the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA).

In September 2012 the agency rejected the EIA because of its potentially adverse impacts on water sources, the environment and wildlife ecosystems of the Lower Zambezi.

The agency expressed concerns that the mine’s tailing storage facilities, sited on the upper Zambezi escarpment, would leach chemicals into the lower escarpment and the Zambezi River. There were also high chances of the tailing storage facilities failing because the proposed mine lies in an area prone to earthquakes.

ZEMA said failure of the tailing storage could release acid mine effluent, with significant environmental and public health impacts extending into neighbouring Zimbabwe and Mozambique. In case of a collapse of the facility, mine sludge would flow directly into Mana Pools, a Zimbabwean World Heritage Site located 25km from the Kangaluwi.

While the EIA acknowledged there was a high potential to generate acid mine drainage, it did not set out measures to be taken to address the impacts in the short and long terms, the agency found.

Come back and join us for Parts 1 – 10:

PART 1 ” Controversial open-pit in Lower Zambezi”

PART 3 ” Legal battles”

PART 4 ” Tourism concerns”

PART 5 ” Political precedents”

PART 6 ” Green Party”

PART 7 ” Holes in the EIA”

PART 8 ” Judiciary under scrutiny”

PART 9 ” Questions to ask yourself”

#MineAlert, Zambezi National Park, Zambia

Go-ahead for controversial open-pit copper mine in Lower Zambezi National Park has become a political hot potato in the run-up to Zambian elections scheduled for August. Oscar Nkala investigates [

[Posted on 23 Jun, 2021 by Oxpeckers Reporters]

Besides the Victoria Falls, nothing beats Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park (LZNP) on the tourism menu. Located roughly 180km south-east of Lusaka, the park is a pristine habitat that incorporates the Zambezi escarpment and sustains a huge wildlife-based tourism industry that employs about 1,000 people.

Save for a few run by the state-owned Zambia Wildlife Authority, most tourism facilities in the LZNP are privately owned. Here, the impact of Covid-19 remains a major concern with travel bans in Europe and the United States slashing tourist arrivals to a trickle that can hardly sustain the industry.

However, nowadays tour operators worry less about Covid-19 than what their future will hold when Australian mining company Mwembeshi Resources Ltd opens a large-scale open-pit copper mine in the middle of the national park.

Mwembeshi is the Zambian subsidiary of Australian stock exchange-listed mining company Zambezi Resources Ltd, which entered Zambia in 2003 after being granted a licence to explore for copper in the Kangaluwi area upper escarpment of the LZNP.

Its Zambian copper exploration portfolio includes special grants in Kangaluwi, Cheowa – a LZNP-based joint venture with South African miner Glencore – and the Chingola mine dumps in the Copperbelt.

Zambezi Resources had invested more than US$12-million on exploration operations in three prospect areas of the Kangaluwi special grant prior to selling the permit and Mwembeshi Resources Ltd to an Australian company called Trek Metals early in 2015.

However, the value of the mine and the company was reduced to zero when Trek Metals offloaded it to Grand Resources Limited of Dubai on April 15 2019. The acquisition effectively gave ownership of Mwembeshi Resources (Bermuda) Limited and its mineral portfolio to Grand Resources (UAE) Limited.

Come back and join us for Parts 2 – 10:

PART 2 ” Environmental impact assessment”

PART 3 ” Legal battles”

PART 4 ” Tourism concerns”

PART 5 ” Political precedents”

PART 6 ” Green Party”

PART 7 ” Holes in the EIA”

PART 8 ” Judiciary under scrutiny”

PART 9 ” Questions to ask yourself”

#MineAlert, Zambezi National Park, Zambia