Uber Eats will stop delivering food orders to parts of Soweto starting next week, the company said on Thursday.
The platform told Fin24 that this was due to safety risks to drivers who made food deliveries in the following areas of Soweto: Emdeni South, Mzimhlope, Zola, Peenyvile, Diepkloof hostel, Dobsonville, Davelin, Pimville, Noordgesig, Dube hostel, and Meadowlands hostel.
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"It is with great disappointment that starting 5 September 2022 deliveries in some areas of Soweto will not be available due to the safety risks that continue to threaten the businesses of delivery people," said Sub-Saharan Africa Uber Eats head of operations Charles Mhango.
"As a company that prioritises the safety of users on the platform, we have engaged rigorously with delivery people through roundtables and surveys to better understand the realities they face on the ground when it comes to safety," said Mhango.
"Merchants in these areas continue to be fully operational on the Uber Eats app and [customers] can still place their orders. However, these are limited to pick-up due to the delivery service being temporarily closed," Mhango said.
The Gauteng e-Hailing Partners Council spokesperson Nkosinathi Zwane said that drivers were hopeful that a local platform could fill the gap left behind by Uber Eats - with arrangements that would be more beneficial for drivers.
"We would see this as a good opportunity for local businesses to enter this space maybe they will not exploit drivers the way Uber is doing," said Zwane.
Drivers are currently pushing for Uber, and its competitor Bolt, to lower their commission of 25% on all trips.