Much as Safeboda drivers are currently allowed on public roads, many have been heavily affected in terms of income and livelihood attracting attention from SafeBoda which has partnered with Yuvraj TVS to donate food supplies to over 3000 active drivers.

TVS contributed over 500 bags of 5kg maize flour to this cause, and the donation event was held at the SafeBoda Academy in Kyebando where eligible drivers have received a package of maize flour, beans, and additives for themselves and their families.

The donations have been done with strict observation of SOPs. Riders are called in different groups to pick up their donation (food). This process will be done in the form of a drive-through where there will be no physical contact between parties making sure all SOPs are observed. The SafeBoda is advised to leave as soon as he receives his package.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has left so many in our community struggling. When our people are affected, we also need to come in and help. This program will provide relief to the drivers who need it the most.”

says Ricky Thomson Rapa, SafeBoda’s Co-Founder and Director.

He adds that the donations are part of SafeBoda’s commitment to its value proposition of safety and well-being to its community of both customers and drivers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We shall continue to support our SafeBoda drivers in this trying moment. We urge everyone to keep observing the SOPs put in place to halt the spread of the virus.”

This can be achieved by using any Internet-connected device with a browser which could be your computer or alternate smartphone without the uber app installed. In fact, you can call an Uber off your main smartphone app, and book a second trip with a different account on the same smartphone by simply adopting the No-App formula.

To get started, you simply need to have an Uber account, then, you must also have access to your registered phone number since Uber sends a one time pin (OTP) to it as confirmation for your non-usual app login. Once logged in, you will be able to see nearby Uber drivers and schedule your trip with ease by entering your destination and pickup points.

How you Call an Uber without using your Smartphone App

• Visit m.uber.com and enter your account phone number
• Uber will re-send a One Time PIN (OTP) to your number, enter it correctly

• Then, enter your password if at all your account is password-protected
• Then, Uber will redirect you to the trips booking dashboard where you can choose to schedule and call an uber near you

• DONE: Enjoy Uber without using your Smartphone App

All in All, you can call an Uber through reliable methods like through the App or official web application as listed in our guide. Through the same methods, you can also order a Lyft pickup or Bolt trip with ease. You simply need to know your account credentials to get going with an instant trip you would have orderred with the official smartphone app.

With an all-female crew piloting Diva Taxi cabs, the ride-hailing service is the first to have single-sex drivers. By its creation formula, it is a service aimed at empowering Women who may have lost their jobs due to the current COVID19 period.

While the service fronts an App as the customer precision to request for rides, the App co-runs other services which include events car hires, car rental services, and Airport taxi services on top of Taxi-hailing.

The Customer App can be downloaded from the Google Playstore for Android users as an IOS version could be work in progress since the service has just launched on the scene.

What new with Diva Taxi

Unlike regular Taxi hailing services like Uber, Diva Taxi being an all-female hailing service equips drivers with protective in-app functions like Panic alerts, on top of self-defense skills to guard themselves against suspected clients who could be thieves.

In terms of usage, Diva Taxi brings the same Uber, Bolt, Little theme that we’re all used to, booking rides using an App. However, the unique side of Diva Taxi is the fact that a customer must order a trip 2hours prior to the trip.

This means, the App runs on a scheduled rides list with no relative trip requests. Instead, a driver bumps into your pickup location based on your prescribed time or day to start the trip.

So, Uganda finally has an all-female ride-hailing service in the transport ecosystem. But, based on the current COVID19 period which has low trip rates and hiked rates, Diva Taxi has launched in an unpleasant era, but we expect it to catch up with the trends set by other taxi-hailing wings.

Through sharing User data with 3^rd parties without any notification or permission from end-users, SafeBoda gradually operates on the opposite side of Section 7 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act of Uganda.

Notably, SafeBoda uses a Facebook-owned System developed kit (SDK) which allows the Social media giant to routinely collect information about clients using the SafeBoda App.

Luckily, SafeBoda managed to fix the flaw by removing Facebook trackers from its App source code, But then introduced even more data sharing trackers in replacement.

Two trackers, Clever Trap and Amplitude still solicit user data from the SafeBoda App without user consent once the App processes are launched.

Basing on these two trackers, and the historical use of Facebook trackers, Unwanted Witness Uganda shared its backdoor concerns with the SafeBoda team and received a response on why the Boda hailing Wing continues to use the Clever Tap in particular.

I have spoken to the tech team about our use of Clevertap. Clevertap is an analytics tool that is used for tracking marketing communication and identifying product issues. It does not have the right to use that data for any purposes and as such is akin to the storage of data on AWS or any other storage/analytics tool. If you believe that it would be appropriate then we can amend our Customer Terms of Use that some data is stored on servers operated by third party data processors. The Data policies already make reference to ‘third-party data processors. 

– The SafeBoda response read

Clever Tap is a US-based mobile marketing company headquartered in Mountain View California and provides mobile App analytics together with user engagement products to over 800 companies worldwide.

Given the fact that CleverTap is not only an external tracker, but also has data-sharing allegations tamed to its brand name. Unwanted Witness went ahead to publish a list of recommendations SafeBoda can consider to stop user data sharing through App trackers:

For now, SafeBoda has not replied to the listed allegations of sharing user data with 3^rd parties contrary to its Privacy Policy listed on its multi-feature ride-hailing App.

But if the Boda hailing firm has been sharing user data to external services as revealed, the company will have to route through legal battles in countries where it operates, and Uganda as it’s base zone.

Due to the current COVID19 Pandemic, Uber has only resumed its Taxi-hailing wing and continues to mute its Boda wing. However, if the Lockdown continues south and 2Wheel Motorbikes meet an open terminal, Uber Boda will also be resumed.

Unlike Safeboda which has continued to operate by utilizing its Food delivery and parcel delivery wing, UberBoda only operates with the newly launched UberConnect that allows customers to send packages in Uganda.

With Uber Taxi trailing as the only resumed option, the option has also been trimmed to only Uber X leaving Uber XL in a ditch. This is due to a 2Passengers directive by Government, further clarified by Uber through its Notice:

During this period you can still access the UberX option which will continue to be available on the Uber app. Please note that The President has directed that no more than 2 passengers can be transported at once – so please bear this in mind if you are requesting with a group of people.

During normal operations, Uber X is limited to 4 passengers due to car specifications. But with the new limitation, each car will be authorized to carry only 2 passengers to respect the social distancing policy.

As Uber takes its operations live, we expect rival providers like Bolt (Formerly Taxify), Little Cab and Mondo ride to borrow the lifted Lockdown streak to resume normal operations in Uganda.

The service launches in a timeframe ruled by a nationwide lockdown forcing Uber to halt operations in Uganda. According to the Uber country manager, Uber has been sourcing for new solutions to still serve customers under the current COVID 19 Pandemic.

During this crisis, we have been working around the clock to find innovative ways to leverage our technology to assist consumers to move essential care packages while also enhancing earnings opportunities for drivers on our platform

Aaron Tindiseega, Uber Uganda Country Manager

How to send Packages with Uber Connect

• Pack your items in a sealed box or bag
•  Then clean your Package’s surface with a disinfectant
• Choose Your Package destination ‘Where to?’ in the Uber app.
• Choose Uber Connect as your ride option (Ignore UberX, Uber Boda)
• You’ll then get notifications with instructions on how your package will be picked up
• Once your Driver allows, Simply place your Package in the car boot
• If paying with Cash, Hand it to the driver with minimal interactions
• You can then share the package’s real-time location stats with up to 5 contacts If you wish

By its operations fashion, Uber Connect shares the same model as SafeBoda’s delivery service with the service’s drivers taking on the mantle to deliver packages safely from customers to their recipients.

Hence, with the new Uber connect service, Customers will be able to send packages, and not initiate actual trips to have their Items delivered to a recipient.

SafeBoda food which is the company’s major delivery service now holds a shop feature where a user can easily buy home essentials through the App.

Through leveraging new sellers and existing merchants on the SafeBoda app, users can now purchase basic needs ranging from food to market essentials including fruits and vegetables as SafeBoda inked in its quick usage guide:

• Craving for local food? Order Kya’kulya on SafeBoda app by tapping the food icon on your SafeBoda app and search for Kyakulya on the app.
• Fruits and vegetables? Tap on food delivery, type shop for groceries in the search bar.
• Thirsty? Coca-Cola? Rwenzori? Minute Maid? Order from Coca-Cola by selecting food delivery on your app, type shop in the search bar and select shop select.
• Working from home and need to send a document? Use “Send” on SafeBoda app
• Need to send money to a friend? Use “SafeBoda Wallet” on SafeBoda app
• Need to shop for home essentials, tap on food delivery, type shop in the search bar, tap shop shell select.

However, for users to get full and easier access to the SafeBoda services, updating the App comes in handy with rebranding on the App’s main dashboard with major alterations on the food & shop tab.

With free delivery on all orders, SafeBoda is not only utilising its over 10,000 active drivers base, but also posing stiff competition to Jumia which ranks as the bullish e-commerce delivery service in Uganda.

While Uber has so far not cracked a sounding impact for its boda-hailing wing, the brand has maintained its position as the best taxi-hailing service, and it’s to this that its trip rates are now up by 20%

Uber X which refers to the regular Uber taxi cabs now has a rise in Per Kilometer and Per Minute fares only, to motivate drivers who in-return increase their availability times to take on more Uber trips.

Well, aside from the recent changes made by Uber that were dominated by a 13% rise in October last year. Uber has this time round limited its alteration to the Kilometer and Per Minute tier to tip drivers during heavy-traffic hours. Nonetheless, below are the new trip rates

Uber Boat as the name sounds is a hailing option offered by ride-hailing giant UBER as part of its new services docket. The service has so far been launched in Nigeria and has garnered huge success in the region

Just like any other service on the UBER App, Uber Boat pops up as an option with available pickups when you draw closer to a waterbody. At the moment, only Lagos dwellers can use the service to maneuver traffic with an active 50% discount on all trips taken.

The UberBoat trip rates

Contrary to the regular UBER trip rates, the new UBER Boat service has a flat charge as its base payment clocking at 500 Nairas (Approximately $1.39) in Lagos. However, this is expected to change as the service rolls out to more areas.

As per UBER’s rollout plans, the service will be launched to more countries if at all demand and resources meet its target cap before UBER Air gets back to the equation table.

Among the new features that were earlier shipped to the SafeBoda app include the ability to buy Airtime using SafeBoda credit and a new dashboard layout for the app.

Amazingly, the orange hailing camp decided to bring to life its old delivery system that this time around poses a live tracking feature. During the SafeBoda app early stages, the service was best known for having consistent and trustworthy drivers to make deliveries anywhere in Kampala.

After major upgrades and stiff competition stepping into the ride-hailing league, SafeBoda shifted to a fully passenger service and it’s through the same league that it has decided to shape deliveries back to life.

How to use the New SafeBoda parcels feature

• Update your SafeBoda app through the Google Play or Apple Store.
• Open the SafeBoda app, to access the SEND feature located between the Ride and Airtime options.
• Select send
• add the delivery address
• add the receiver’s contact number
• Under package details, select the type of parcel, for instance; Smartphone, Camera, laptop, etc.
• Enter your pick up location
• Select your mode of payment whether Cashless or Cash for your trip
• Request (order) to get the nearest SafeBoda rider or Pair when you’re close to the driver.

With the above procedure, your package will be securely delivered by a SafeBoda driver without any extra shipping charges. So, this is simply the cheapest delivery service you can cruise with without popping up for other popular modes like DHL or FedEx.

To Send cashless credit to another user in your contact book, simply use the send feature and select Cashless transfers to credit a friend who could be having a Zero signal on their SafeBoda account. Nonetheless, with a new delivery option and cashless credit transfers, SafeBoda is destined for a continental take over after its Kenya and Nigeria rollouts.