'There is No Future in it': Pandemic and Ride Hailing Hustle in Africa

Mohammad Amir Anwar; Jack Ong'Iro Odeo; Elly Otieno

doi:10.1111/ilr.12364

'There is No Future in it': Pandemic and Ride Hailing Hustle in Africa

Int Labour Rev. 2022 Apr 22:10.1111/ilr.12364. doi: 10.1111/ilr.12364. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Mohammad Amir Anwar^{1

2

3}, Jack Ong'Iro Odeo⁴, Elly Otieno⁵

Affiliations

¹ Centre of African Studies University of Edinburgh.
² Oxford Internet Institute University of Oxford.
³ School of Tourism and Hospitality University of Johannesburg.
⁴ Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Nairobi.
⁵ Independent researcher Nairobi.

Abstract

This article examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ride-hailing drivers in Africa. It argues that though ride-hailing offers paid-work to some African workers, the commodified and informalised nature of this work results in poor job quality. The effects of which are greatly amplified during the pandemic. Drawing on a mixed methods approach: in-depth interviews with ride-hailing drivers in Nairobi and digital ethnography, it also provides a narrative of 'hustle' to outline strategies of resilience, reworking, and resistance among informal workers. It concludes by highlighting the need for adequate regulatory frameworks and on-the-ground solidarity networks to ensure decent working conditions and to push back against precarity in the gig economy.

Keywords: Covid‐19; Gender; Gig Economy; Hustling; Pandemic; Platforms; Ride Hailing; Uber.

2022.