To Ride or Not to Ride? How Ethiopia’s Taxi Hailing Industry Falls Short Protecting Female Passengers

On a Friday night about six months ago, a local journalist was on her way home after a long stay at the office. As usual, she went on the Feres taxi-hailing app and requested a corporate ride for a trip from the Stadium area to her home in the city’s outskirts around the Bole Arabsa neighborhood. A driver accepted the trip and informed her that he was on his way to pick her up. Being a regular customer of the Service, she assumed nothing out of the ordinary as she hopped into the vehicle that matched the credentials on the app. Just a few minutes into the ride, she realized that the trip was anything but ordinary as the driver began making sexual advances at her.

"It was incredibly frustrating," she recalled to Shega.

Enraged by her lack of interest, he began hurling insults and insisted they should spend the night together. "I was dumbfounded and scared,” she says.

In fear of further instigating the driver while in the vehicle, she avoided directly reporting the harassment to Feres. Instead, she messaged colleagues who contacted the Company on her behalf. Unfortunately, she was forced to endure the driver’s harassment for the entire 40-minute trip as the Company failed to provide assistance immediately.

“They contacted me as I was about to exit the vehicle,” she says.

Sadly, her experience is not unique. Many women in Addis Ababa have faced similar incidents of sexual harassment while using ride-hailing services. The lack of comprehensive data on incidents and unclear policies addressing sexual harassment within the ride-hailing industry has become a serious problem. Seemingly lenient and grossly inadequate responses from the taxi Companies have exacerbated the problem, according to women rights groups.

The journalist who insisted on anonymity reached out to Feres in the morning after her harrowing experience. Alongside her colleagues, they attempted to understand the status of their report and how they could follow through. While the lack of response from the Company frustrated her, what happened just a week later sparked confusion and shock.

She would find herself matched with the same driver she had spent the entire week reporting to the Company. An incident that begged the question of whether her reports had any effect at all.

"I was so disturbed by my experience that I saved his information and blocked him after the incident," she said. "But I can't understand how, despite multiple reports, I was matched with him again. The least they could do is avoid pairing me with him,” she questioned, perplexed.

It's worth noting that she was a corporate customer, a category typically associated with enhanced security measures as a significant amount of information is shared about drivers and passengers. However, this incident illustrates serious gaps around information management and reporting procedures that could expose all categories of female passengers to harassment.

Yeshiwas Abate, Feres' Operations Manager, says that when a sexual harassment report is filed, the driver is immediately suspended for three weeks pending an investigation.

” If the allegations are confirmed, the case will be transferred to the Addis Ababa police,” he told Shega.

Nonetheless, the Reporting system appears to have overlooked accusations at least in the Journalist's experience as it matched her with same driver in a week.

Yeshiwas also reflected that Feres maintains a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct while acknowledging that there was room for improvement. He expressed an openness to suggestions and collaborations aimed at enhancing the safety of female passengers.

Still, the unwillingness to publicize the number of incidents or a detailed account of responses could give credence to transparency concerns around the industry. With close to 15 ride-hailing companies actively providing services in Addis Ababa to an increasing number of female passengers, safety standards are of paramount importance.

Globally Sexual assault in ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft have become a major concern, prompting regulatory bodies and ride-hailing companies to implement various policies aimed at preventing such incidents.

Both Uber and Lyft have reported thousands of sexual assault incidents in recent years. For instance, Lyft's safety report documented 4,158 alleged sexual assaults from 2017 to 2019.

Kenya, too, grapples with a disturbing trend of sexual harassment within ride-hailing services. A survey by the Kenyan National Transport and Safety Authority revealed that nearly 40% of female riders have endured harassment during their trips.

In Ethiopia, the surge in popularity of ride-hailing companies has kept in tandem with incidents of sexual harassment and gender-based violence, sparking widespread outrage on social media. A notable example includes a popular singer who publicly shared her experience of sexual harassment by a ride-hailing driver, prompting many women to come forward with similar stories and even calling for a boycott of service providers like Feres.

In response to these alarming incidents and the lack of transparent action from ride-hailing companies, a coalition of women's rights groups has recently issued demands for stricter measures to protect female passengers.

The joint call outlines five key demands: a Zero-Tolerance Policy, the display of Safety Guidelines in vehicles, the implementation of an SOS button, training programs, and the establishment of a reliable reporting and complaint system.

“The pledge emerged in response to the growing number of harassment reports targeting female passengers, particularly stories shared by women on social media and the glaring absence of any real policies to protect them.” Says Mekdelawit Getahun, Advocacy, and Communications manager at Article 35, member of the coalition.

A survey conducted by the Group has also revealed a disturbing pattern of harassment faced by women using ride-hailing services, according to Mekdelawit.

Numerous women passengers have shared similar accounts of sexual harassment on social media, detailing incidents ranging from unwanted advances to outright threats. Little in the form of official statements and transparent protection has been signaled from the ride haling platforms.

One passenger shared “The ride driver gave my phone number to a traffic officer to avoid getting a ticket and I was harassed by the officer” another one recounted “When we arrived at a quite place, he pulled up the car and said he wouldn’t drive me unless I kissed him”

“One driver tried to flirt with me and the same night he sent me a pornographic video” reads a third account.

“A lot happened, but one I will never forget is when I got threatened by a Feres driver for refusing to tip him. He called me names, and I reported him. Then he continued to contact me with a different number and threatened me continuously. I called back and informed Feres again, and they couldn’t do anything except tell me to be careful.” Shared another Passenger.

According to Mekdelawit, the coalition is not merely making requests; they are issuing a demand for systemic change.  “Our statement reflects a collective frustration with an industry that has repeatedly failed to protect its most vulnerable passengers,” she told Shega.

The coalition believes that a properly implemented zero-tolerance policy could improve female passengers' safety by setting clear consequences for misconduct. Immediate suspension and investigation of drivers after complaints, with permanent removal if allegations are confirmed, will create a deterrent effect.

While a majority of ride-hailing companies have opted to ignore calls from the women’s rights groups, some have promptly reacted

Yango , an emerging ride hailing platform has echoed the call for zero-tolerance towards misconduct and was the only company to issue a statement responding to the rights groups.

“In response to recent calls from joint feminist advocacy groups for safer ride-hailing services in Ethiopia, Yango is doubling down on its commitment to passenger safety by introducing new and enhanced safety features for both riders and drivers.” “ Yango enforces a strict zero-tolerance policy for any form of sexual harassment or violence.” reads the company statement.

The Company’s current safety policy includes the automatic blocking of a driver who has a complaint lodged against him alongside a concurrent investigation.

This approach aims to ensure that both the driver’s and passenger's accounts are considered before any decisions are made. The Russian-rooted company has also recently introduced an SOS button within its app which lined up with the Coalition’s demand. This feature allows passengers to quickly alert local authorities in emergencies and is available around the clock.

“Additionally, Yango has implemented a comprehensive online training program for drivers and boasts a reporting system that claims 99.99% of its trips occur without incident.” Says Yekenealem Abebe (PhD) Yango Country Director. Yango is a relatively new entrant to Ethiopia's taxi hailing industry and operates a comparably smaller market share than that of the two dominant service providers (Feres, Ride).

However, the absence of a national guideline, industry standards and clear policies about what sexual harassment entails within the ride hailing service sector remains a lingering concern.

The coalition of feminist organizations defines any form of unwanted contact be it verbal or physical as an infringement on passenger rights. This includes inappropriate comments or gestures that can undermine a passenger's sense of safety and dignity.

On November 29th, Article 35, in collaboration with the Colonel John Robinson Center, convened a panel discussion to address the growing concern of sexual harassment within the ride-hailing industry. Participants, representing various women's rights advocacy organizations, discussed the pervasive issue of rape culture and its normalization within these platforms.

A central question emerged: How can women navigate the risks associated with ride-hailing services? While sharing locations, screenshots and trip details with friends has become a common practice, as discussed during the panel, women are seeking more robust solutions. Anecdotal evidence suggests that women are employing various strategies to mitigate risks though unstainable, often relying on community support and self-protective measures.

Panelists proposed a solution: the establishment of an independent reporting system to document cases of sexual assault and track driver histories. This system would serve as a valuable resource for women, as ride-hailing platforms have been reluctant to take responsibility for recording such incidents. As one panelist emphasized, "That way, we can build a resource for ourselves."

Drawing inspiration from international practices, the coalition suggested that Ethiopia could adopt similar strategies to enhance passenger safety. For instance, India's successful integration of an SOS feature in ride-hailing apps empowers passengers to directly alert authorities during emergencies. In the United States, rigorous background checks on drivers and anonymous reporting systems, coupled with annual safety reports, have contributed to a safer ride-hailing environment. These approaches, including enhanced driver training, focused on respectful conduct and anti-harassment policies, could be effectively adapted to the Ethiopian context.

Several attempts by Shega to get a comment from Ride during the development of this story were unsuccessful.