There is a growing trend of individuals pretending to be e-hailing drivers in South Africa, usually outside busy areas such as airports and stadiums.
While many of these drivers do not harbour ill intentions and are simply looking to make money in tough times, others are using the ruse as an opportunity to take unsuspecting travelers to a discrete location where they may be assaulted and robbed.
Even when these individuals do not mean any harm, they still present a dangerous situation to passengers as they do not come with any of the assurances of a certified e-hailing driver from a major company like Bolt or Uber.
I recently encountered one of these fake Uber drivers on a trip home from the airport, and this is what happened.
Big smiles and quick assurances
My flight landed on a Sunday afternoon at O.R. Tambo International Airport and I proceeded to the e-hailing parking lot to find a ride home.
In the past I have ordered Ubers on my phone while walking to the parking lot to minimize the wait and to avoid being hassled by taxi drivers while doing so, but it was late in the day and rather quiet so I decided to try my luck and see if any drivers were already there and waiting to go.
Standing by the Uber pick-up zone, I was approached by a middle-aged man who said he was an Uber driver and could take me where I needed to go.
When I asked him how I could be sure he was a real Uber driver, he told me not to worry and that we could set it up when we reached his car.
His car was not actually parked on the same level as the e-hailing zone, and instead, we had to take the parking lot staircase to the next level.
I was already skeptical of this person and walked slowly so that he was ahead of me. He also offered to carry my suitcase, but I politely declined.
The individual did acknowledge the suspicious tone I was giving off and said I didn’t have to worry, and that it was actually a good thing to remain vigilant in South Africa.
When we reached his car there was no evidence of him being an Uber driver, and before we had even left the e-hailing zone I had insisted that I would only go if I could set up a trip on my phone’s Uber app.
At this point it was clear this person wasn’t a licenced Uber driver, but he insisted he could take me where I wanted to go, saying I could pay him whatever the app’s estimated fee for the journey would be.
I checked the app which came up with roughly R350 for the trip to Centurion, but I lied and said it would cost R300 which he hastily agreed to.
I said yes to the trip but quietly took photos of the car’s licence plates, an old white Toyota hatchback that was not in good shape, and messaged a family member to let them know I was leaving the airport.
Upon leaving, the driver asked if we could stop at the airport’s Engen garage to top up, which I agreed to since there were plenty of other people around, and it seemed better than pulling off to stop at a station in an unfamiliar area.
He asked if I could pay him upfront so he could use the money for the petrol, and then we hit the R21 going towards Centurion.
The journey itself was uneventful and the person was friendly and chatty, and it wasn’t too long before we reached the entrance to my security estate. I had considered asking to be dropped off at the shopping centre instead but figured that the security guards at the entrance were enough reassurance.
Looking back at the experience, nothing bad happened and the person was a friendly individual who was clearly trying to find a way to make some money in this troubled economy, but I would still not recommend it for the dangers it presents.
It is far too easy for someone to assault you in a quiet area of the parking lot or drive you to an empty location, especially since there is no record of the trip like there is with e-hailing apps.
Even putting aside the opportunities for criminals, South Africa has a big problem with unroadworthy cars and bad drivers, which makes getting into a vehicle like this dangerous regardless of the person’s intentions.
I would recommend that anyone using an e-hailing app book their trip beforehand and never agree to the solicitations of individuals waiting at pick-up sites like airports.
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