Editorials

EDITORIAL: Fighting change not solution

Uber

Uber's driver partners in Kenya also say they are planning a demonstration this Thursday. PHOTO | FILE

People -- in this case businesses, individuals, and regulators -- are often resistant to new ways of doing things, even when the signs are clear that change is inevitable.

Reports that Uber drivers are being denied access to certain airports should therefore not come as a surprise to the taxi-hailing firm that has come to represent business disruption all over the world using the latest technology to move people more efficiently and at a considerably cheaper cost.

READ: Competition watchdog steps into Uber’s airport taxi wars

Although the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) may have reasons to restrict digital taxis from accessing the airports, it should remember that those being barred are registered in Kenya to do the business of transport and their licences do not have location specific caveats. Trouble is that the coming of digital taxis is threatening to disrupt the monopolies that have for years had exclusive access to the airports. It should be easy to conclude the bulk of the people using airports are tech-savvy and would naturally find a taxi-hailing application more convenient. Access can be restricted in places like airports because of factors like security and safety, but that should not be tied to physical features like the colour of a car.

No, we are past that age and, if there was a group so easy to monitor and verify, it should be those using apps because the technology they use leaves a clear digital footprint and a lot of data on drivers.

Should there be requirements to using the airports as drop-off and pick-up points, these should be available to every taxi operator, which is the hallmark of fair competition. This is the reason the competition watchdog CAK must be encouraged to take a serious look into KAA’s handling of taxi access to the airports.