There is a conflict between “traditional” taxi drivers and those who use the application regarding price fixing, with the former complaining of unfair competition. The Mozambican Association for the Study and Defense of Consumers suggests the mandatory use of the Taximeter to avoid disputes between taxi operators in Maputo City.
For some time now, traditional model taxi drivers have been complaining about unfair competition from taxi operators who use apps to contact passengers, allegedly because they are speculating on the price, thus harming their activity.
The Association of Taxi Drivers says that the prices charged per kilometer by app taxis make the activity unsustainable.
"App-based taxis have created excesses. They are practically charging 50% below the amount we charge”, said Albino Mabalane, board member of the Association of Taxi Drivers.
"They are charging 90 meticais (about 1.200 kwanzas) for two kilometers”, lamented Anibal Fernandes, also a taxi driver. For the Association of Taxi Drivers, the ideal price to be applied by all operators is 100 meticais per mileage.
In this dispute, which has lasted for years, the passenger is often the most affected, because there is no legal instrument that determines the price to be applied for each kilometer travelled.
"I intended to travel from Avenida Angola to Mavalane International Airport, I was going to accompany some people. For being with people with white skin, they charged us an unfair amount (speculated). But, because we had an urgent need to reach our destination, we paid”, said a user of the taxi service.
"A kilometer is a thousand meters. It is not easy to calculate, with the naked eye, the thousand meters. I think it would be better if there was a meter in the vehicles”, suggested the other.
The taximeter is a device that measures the amount charged for the service, based on a combination of the distance traveled and the time taken.
The instrument can be coupled to the vehicle, but with the growing technological evolution it already exists in digital form, through applications that automatically make the calculations.
"When the center receives a request from a passenger, it forwards it to me via cell phone. After picking up the passenger, when I start the trip, I put the cell phone to calculate the kilometers. Arriving at the destination, the application displays the mileage traveled and the corresponding value, according to what the company has already defined”, explained a model taxi driver by application.
The confusion in this transport sector stems from the fact that there is no standard, with regard to the amount to be charged for each kilometer travelled. Thus, app taxis define their value and traditional ones also use their criteria to do the same. The consumer ends up opting for the app, which has generally lower prices.
According to the Mozambican Association for the Study and Defense of Consumers (ProConsumers), the dispute between taxi drivers would be resolved if both had the taximeter system.
"Such vital sectors suggest and establish themselves in the market, without concrete instruments for their implementation, then the rulers go after the damage. The conflict between taxi drivers is already old, because, until now, there is no regulation. The Government has to design a policy for this sector, regulate and impose discipline”, appealed Alexandre Bacião, Executive Director of the Mozambican Association for the Study and Defense of Consumers (ProConsumers).
Taxi drivers with more time in the sector do not have the device, so they determine the value of the trip based on their experience. With a taximeter, the value to be applied would be more accurate and uniform.
The Mobility, Transport and Transit department, in the Municipality of Maputo, says that there is already a plan to standardize prices.
"What they (taxi drivers) want is to establish a single tariff. We welcome the proposal and it is being analyzed. Subsequently, it will be submitted to be considered by the Municipal Assembly.”, he said.
Several vehicles owned by “traditional” taxi drivers do not have a speedometer, according to the newspaper “O País”. For ProConsumers, this may indicate that the problem is complex. Therefore, the association advises the Municipal Council to listen to the parties, in order to obtain better results.
