Big Wanatu and Uber trip fees difference

Aside from requiring Afrikaans drivers and employing them permanently rather than on contract, the recently launched Wanatu e-hailing service differs from Uber and Bolt in another key way — it won’t charge users more than their trip estimate.

Among the many issues that South Africans have recently had with Uber is that the trip estimates they are shown at booking can be substantially lower than what they end up getting charged.

Uber and its main rival, Bolt, use algorithms to determine whether an invoiced or reserved fare is correct, taking into account the length of a trip and the distance covered.

This makes sense considering the additional fuel drivers could consume in traffic or on alternative routes and the time they lose that could have gone into other trips.

However, these mechanisms could potentially also be abused by drivers who deliberately drive slowly or take detours to reach the user’s destination.

Some Uber drivers have also been accused of failing to end trips when the customer reaches their destination.

With the additional time and distance added after the dropoff, the customer’s fare can increase substantially.

Uber told MyBroadband that it typically honoured the upfront fare unless significant trip changes occur, such as significant route deviations or unexpected delays.

“In such cases, the fare may be adjusted to reflect the increased time and distance travelled,” Uber said.

MyBroadband specifically asked whether Uber had a maximum increase threshold to cap additional charges above the original fare, but it did not respond to this question.

Bolt said its fare adjustment mechanism ensured fair compensation for drivers on the platform while maintaining transparency for riders.

“If a trip takes significantly longer than estimated due to traffic or other unforeseen delays, the final fare may be adjusted,” Bolt said.

“This recalculation occurs only if both the time and price exceed a set threshold compared to the upfront fare.”

Bolt did not provide more details on the threshold to cap the additional charge.

MyBroadband also asked what would happen if a customer had just enough money in their account or on hand for the original estimate but not the revised fee.

Uber said for cash trips, where a rider cannot cover the revised fare, the outstanding amount was added to their account and would need to be settled before future rides.

Bolt said if a rider had insufficient funds to cover the adjusted fare, their account may be permanently suspended.

In making this decision, it takes into account the number of unpaid ride reports and whether the final fare significantly exceeded the estimate.

Bolt said it was aware that some drivers misused the algorithm-adjusted fares to gain extra funds or avoid commission payments.

“We continuously work to maintain a fair balance between supporting drivers and preventing fraudulent claims,” Bolt said.

Wanatu CEO Judith van der Walt told MyBroadband the service took a different approach than the two major incumbents.

“Our trip fares are determined by the time of day, but the fare the rider initially accepts remains in place,” Van der Walt said. “We do not use a traffic or demand algorithm.”

Whether by design or because the platform is still relatively young, this approach offers riders more price transparency and avoids potential abuse by drivers.

Wanatu also monitors all its vehicles live via interior and exterior dashcams, further discouraging bad driver behaviour.

MyBroadband’s comparisons of pricing on Bolt, Uber, and Wanatu have shown that the latter tends to be slightly more affordable than Uber’s premium Black offering and a little more expensive than Bolt’s Business tier over a 10km trip.

Over longer distances, Wanatu becomes the most expensive option.

The service also has fewer drivers than the competition, which means finding a driver might be challenging during peak periods.

When a driver is more than 10km away from the chosen pickup spot, Wanatu levies a R50 surcharge to help cover the additional cost of driving to the customer’s location.

However, Wanatu warns the customer upfront about this additional charge and it is included in the initial estimate.

The likelihood of this surcharge being applied could also decline, as the company plans to double its fleet in Pretoria and Centurion and expand to more towns and cities in the coming months.

The table below summarises the differences between Bolt, Uber, and Wanatu in terms of employment, pricing, and security features.