E-hailing and the crisis of work: a contextual investigation into the working conditions of e-hailing drivers in South Africa

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dc.contributor.authorDubbelman, Bradley
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-22T08:09:39Z
dc.date.available2022-11-22T08:09:39Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.descriptionA research report submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree Master of Arts in Development Studies, School of Development Studies to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, 2021
dc.description.abstractThe objective of this thesis is to provide a contextual analysis into the working conditions of e-hailing drivers in the Global South, and specifically in South Africa. Through fifteen in-depth telephonic interviews with these drivers conducted between May and October 2020, a number of key insights were derived that support the argument that a context-specific understanding of the unique dynamics of each nation State is of critical importance in informing policy that is just and equitable. Existing literature emphasises the current narrative around the precarious working conditions of e hailing drivers exclusively within countries of the Global North. These are grounded on the assumption that workers own their vehicles and that e-hailing has had an informalizing effect on the standard employment working relationship that has characterised the relationship between capital and labour in traditional economies. These Northern analyses thereby fail to capture the unique dynamics of countries in the Global South, characterised as having high levels of inequality and fragmented transport industries. Similarly, they provide a simplistic understanding into the contextual complexities around formal and informal work in developing economies. As such, the tensions between e-hailing companies, such as Uber and Bolt, and drivers within these networks ensuing on a global level, are informed predominantly by Northern experience. Of particular importance is the ownership and leasing structure implemented in SA, and other developing countries, where e-hailing drivers who lack the financial ability to own their own vehicles are forced to lease vehicles from third party Drive Partners. Designed to integrate drivers who lack the means of vehicle ownership into the e-hailing network, the leasing system creates an ownership class that reinforces existing patterns of inequality in developing countries as the ensuing contracts (or lack thereof) borne out between drivers and Drive Partners, contributes to the complexity and precarity many drivers face as a result. This leasing structure is central to understanding how new and emerging forms of work associated with the gig economy have been adapted to the differing realities of the Global South. The financial pressure these drivers face, reinforced by decreasing e hailing demand during the Covid-19 Lockdown, together with heightened levels of fear over driver safety and security, are additional features that differentiate the Southern driver experience to that of the Northern one. This thesis highlights these differences and emphasises the need for specific and contextual considerations in policy formulation should it have any relevance for e-hailing drivers within their respective localities. The analysis herein uses a North/South framework to demonstrate the relative differences drivers face in their respective geographies. It is important to emphasise that while drivers across the globe experience differing realities, they too have many shared experiences. The framework does thereby not intend to generalise, nor is it meant as a tool to create classification binaries between North and South, instead it is used to emphasise common driver experiences based on localities with similar socio-economic histories and contexts, albeit that these may differ significantly in themselves.
dc.description.librarianTL (2022)
dc.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/33548
dc.language.isoen
dc.schoolSchool of Developmental Studies
dc.titleE-hailing and the crisis of work: a contextual investigation into the working conditions of e-hailing drivers in South Africa
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