The numbers behind the claim.

A study of 1.5 million actual UK Uber trips published by Oxford University in June 2025 found the average commission charged to restaurants was 29% of order value — exceeding 50% on some premium trip categories. This is not a published headline rate. It is what restaurants actually paid, documented from real transaction data. This study is VAYA's primary source for UK commission rate claims.

Delivery riders across South Africa staged multiple organised strike actions demanding a minimum rate of R6/km. Current platforms pay approximately R14 per pickup plus R1.20/km — meaning a 3km delivery earns a rider roughly R17.60, before fuel, data costs, and vehicle wear. Platforms did not meet the demand. VAYA pays R7/km standard and R8.50/km peak — beating the strike demand at standard rate. Rider subscription: R500/month (SA) · £30/month (UK), deducted weekly from earnings.

The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) backed rider demands for a £5 minimum fare and £2/mile rate across UK delivery platforms. Current Uber Eats rates sit at approximately £2.50 base plus £1.50/mile. Deliveroo's 2026/27 pay floor is £12.30/hour for active time — equating to roughly £4.10 for a 20-minute delivery. VAYA pays £2.10/mile standard and £2.60/mile peak, with a £5.00 minimum fare — meeting the IWGB rate at standard and beating it at peak.

During high-demand periods, platforms apply a surge multiplier of 2×, 3×, or more to the delivery fee — automatically, without asking the customer. The customer pays significantly more. The rider receives a modest uplift of around 15–20%. The platform's commission percentage remains exactly the same — applied to a much higher total. This means the platform's absolute cut grows the most during every surge, while the rider and customer bear the cost. VAYA does not use surge pricing. Rates are fixed at all times.

A restaurant paying 25–30% commission on every order cannot absorb that cost without raising prices. A burger priced at R80/£7 in the restaurant needs to become R100/£9 on the delivery app just to maintain the same margin. Neither the platform nor the restaurant tells the customer this is happening. The customer simply pays more and wonders why. On VAYA, restaurants pay a flat monthly fee regardless of order volume — so there is no per-order cost to pass on. Restaurants can charge the same prices on the app as they do in the restaurant.

Bolt Food launched in South Africa with existing driver infrastructure and significant capital backing. It exited the SA market entirely. The reason: it tried to compete with Uber Eats using the same commission model, simply priced slightly cheaper. A discount war on the same structural model is not a different model — it is the same extraction at a lower margin, which is unsustainable. VAYA does not compete on commission rate. VAYA removes commission entirely. That is a different battlefield, not a price adjustment.