Patience Makwele
Ride-hailing platform Yango Namibia has defended its safety, customer support and driver verification systems following growing public concern over alleged “phantom” completed trips, delayed responses to customer complaints and reports of drivers whose identities did not match profiles displayed on the application.
The company came under renewed scrutiny after Windhoek Observer submitted questions regarding complaints raised by customers, prompting a media briefing on Friday during which Yango Namibia country manager Alex Mungai acknowledged that “the system is not perfect” but maintained that safeguards are in place to detect fraud, verify driver identities and compensate customers who are wrongly charged.
The briefing follows a wave of customer complaints alleging they were billed for trips or deliveries that never took place, experienced lengthy delays in resolving complaints and encountered drivers who differed from those shown on the platform.
It also comes months after minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi raised concerns over regulatory compliance within Namibia’s growing e-hailing industry and called for stricter enforcement of public transport laws.
Mungai, however, did not disclose how many complaints involving alleged “phantom” trips, driver profile mismatches or refunds had been recorded in Namibia, nor how many drivers had been suspended or removed from the platform over such incidents.
Responding to concerns over trips being completed without passengers boarding or deliveries being collected, Mungai said the platform offers an optional four-digit verification code that prevents drivers from starting a trip before the passenger is physically present.
“There is provision within the application for a four-digit code. The driver can only start the trip once that code has been entered,” he said.
He said customers who are incorrectly charged are refunded following investigations, adding that promotional ride credits may also be issued depending on the circumstances.
“If it was charged, we refund it,” Mungai said.
Addressing concerns over driver identity, Mungai said drivers are required to submit supporting documentation before being approved to operate on the platform and cannot begin working immediately after completing online registration.
According to him, every driver must be linked to an approved fleet partner, undergo training and meet Yango’s operational requirements before being activated on the platform.
He further explained that drivers are required to complete facial photo verification before commencing work and at random intervals throughout the day to ensure the person behind the wheel matches the profile registered on the application.
“There are provisions for passengers to report where it is not the same driver. Safety is a shared responsibility within the ecosystem,” he said.
Mungai said Yango’s systems automatically flag drivers who receive repeated complaints or are suspected of fraudulent activity.
“The system automatically flags the driver. We can tell when a driver consistently has infractions or repeated complaints,” he said.
He said drivers with recurring service-related complaints are referred for additional training, while those implicated in more serious violations, including alleged fraud, may be suspended while investigations are conducted or permanently removed from the platform.
On complaints that customers wait too long for assistance, Mungai maintained that support tickets are generally acknowledged within minutes, although complex cases requiring investigations naturally take longer to resolve.
“If you have an experience and you do not report it or you go on social media, we might not see it fast enough to resolve it,” he said, encouraging customers to use the application’s official support channels.
The media briefing follows numerous complaints from customers who alleged they were charged for rides or deliveries that never occurred, while others questioned the authenticity of drivers arriving to collect passengers.
One customer alleged that a delivery driver accepted a request but never collected the parcel from the pickup point before the trip was marked as completed and the delivery fee deducted.
Others reported being charged for rides despite never being picked up, while several customers complained that the drivers who arrived differed from the photographs displayed on the application.
Additional complaints included drivers requesting passengers to cancel rides, extended waiting times and what customers described as slow responses from the company’s support channels.
Earlier this year, Nekundi warned that operators in the country’s rapidly expanding e-hailing industry must comply with Namibia’s transport legislation, including requirements relating to public driving permits and passenger transport permits, as the government intensified oversight of digital transport platforms.
The minister also questioned the ability of authorities to independently verify information relating to drivers operating on digital ride-hailing platforms, underscoring broader concerns over accountability and compliance within the sector.
While Yango insists its technology and safety features are designed to protect passengers and drivers, the growing number of customer complaints has renewed calls for greater transparency, faster complaint resolution and stronger oversight as app-based transport services continue to gain popularity in Namibia.
