Johannesburg - E-hailing giant Uber is offering free rides to the Durban community are from Friday until Sunday as part of efforts to get the economy of the region ticking again.
Durban was arguably at the hearts of the riots that ravaged KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last week, with damage to infrastructure and looted goods totalling billions of rands.
More than 337 people have died as a direct result of the violent riots, which the government through President Cyril Ramaphosa has characterised as a failed insurrection.
From those 337 deaths, police are investigating more than 171 cases of murder - both in KZN and Gauteng.
Uber said it was offering riders in Durban R100 per ride to get to their destinations as part of the #RebuildSA initiative.
“We want to ensure that transport isn’t a barrier to rebuilding Durban.
“Whether you want to reconnect with friends or family, getting essential goods or helping a small business start to rebuild, we want you to be able to move around with ease,'' said Frans Hiemstra, Uber’s general manager for Sub Saharan Africa.
For those in Durban, the promotion should be pre-loaded on their existing accounts, but if it has not been applied, they can simply add the promotion code HELPKZN212 to apply the ride discounts, which will be limited to two trips between Friday and Sunday, capped at R100 per trip.
Uber said the riotous events of last week, which saw buildings set alight in some instances, would have a devastating impact on people's lives and livelihoods.
Uber said it was running the initiative in Durban also to help their drivers, who were also affected by the events of last week as they were unable to work and earn a living during the riots.
They said they were supporting their drivers in a bid to ensure that they continued to earn a living and in a bid to put money back in their pockets.
“Not only will this help South Africans get closer to #RebuildSA, but support drivers to ensure they can put back much-needed earnings into their pockets as drivers will receive their full earnings for all trips taken,” said Uber.
They said although the trip would be free for the rider, the proceeds of the trip would be paid over to the driver and they were encouraging Durbanites to tip drivers.
“While the trip is free for you (up to R100 per trip), we encourage you to tip your driver to show your appreciation,” said Hiemstra. .
IOL