Ride-hailing platform, Uber, will subsidise data costs for its customers and riders after Safaricom zero-rated the app, following a partnership between the two companies.
- •By providing free mobile data to users of the Uber app, Safaricom intends to ease the accessibility of the platform’s nine mobility products.
- •According to a survey done by Uber, the most pertinent barrier for consumers accessing their mobility products is the lack of sufficient access to mobile data.
- •The partnership will also allow customers and retailers on the Uber Eats app to freely access data for ordering and responding to deliveries.
“As a global company that operates locally, it is important to us to understand local nuances of the market we live and operate in. Through this partnership with Safaricom, we can help bridge the gap in accessing data for many Kenyans, by which they will be able to access reliable and safe mobility,” Uber’s Head of East Africa, Imran Manji, said.
“For drivers, this represents savings as they will not need to spend money on mobile data while driving on the Uber app,” he added.
To access the free data, customers are advised to switch off VPN blockers, which may raise security questions after recent revelations that Safaricom has provided customer data in response to requests from law enforcement agencies. Safaricom has since denied the reports, reiterating that it only “share(s) any customer data unless explicitly required [] via a court order.”
According to the latest GSMA report, the high cost of internet locked out 57% from broadband access in 2022 compared to the year 2023 where 52% of the sampled population was locked from access due to high connectivity charges.