Uber, one of the major taxi firms leveraging on technology to provide transport services in Kenya, has announced a new safety measure that vehicle owners need to include on their vehicles to first acquire an electronic chip windscreen sticker from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
The firm, in a notice to car owners last week, directed that from 1st of March it is mandatory for all vehicles to have the NTSA’s Radio Frequency Identification sticker prior to getting a nod for further inspection at partner stations AutoXpress or Kingsway Tyres.
Identification and authentication of car ownership are the two components meant to be certified for the vehicle to offer service.
This move is in an effort to ensure the vehicle information recorded on the Uber app is similar to the details at the NTSA.
“Safety of drivers and riders is our top priority. At Uber we are committed to ensuring that we build safety into our service from beginning to end: before a passenger even gets into the car, throughout the journey and after they have reached their destination,” said Uber East Africa Spokesperson Janet Kemboi.
“We introduced this new requirement as a standard procedure to increase high-quality standards that promote safety.We remain committed to ensuring that all our requirements enhance the safety of our service.”
Besides the new requirement, Uber so far requires a valid professional driving licence issued by the safety agency, a valid log book, an identity card and a certificate of good conduct before allowing the drivers to go on the road.
