A few weeks ago, I lost a pizza. And with my missing dinner, I also lost a bit of faith I had in Uber. It was a Thursday. My husband and I, deciding to ditch our healthy eating ambitions for the night, ordered Uber Eats. We went the premium delivery route, but about an hour later, still no pizza. A call from the driver informed me that someone else had collected my pizza and there was nothing he could do to resolve the issue. I was promptly refunded, but we ended up having toast for supper.

While I realise that this was an isolated incident and that users’ experiences differ vastly depending on what city you’re in, it just feels like more and more people are having negative experiences with the app, from dangerous driving and dirty or unroadworthy vehicles to drivers not accepting shorter trips because they’re uneconomical. All of this makes me think that Uber in South Africa may be losing its lustre for drivers and users alike. I’m a little disappointed.