A group of e-hailing drivers in Lagos has dragged the ride-hailing companies, Uber, Bolt and inDrive before the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to demand improved welfare from the companie
A group of e-hailing drivers in Lagos has dragged the ride-hailing companies, Uber, Bolt and inDrive before the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to demand improved welfare from the companies. The drivers, simply identified as the Nigerian Drivers Liberation Movement, said they are resorting to this measure because everything else they have tried has failed. This includes strikes and shutdowns.
In a communique by the group seen by Technext, the visit to the PCC is a new approach aimed at “reclaiming” their industry.
Read also: Danfo drivers now earn 80% more money than Uber drivers per trip – E-hailing driver laments
“Today’s visit to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) is not like the strikes or shutdown actions we have taken in the past. Those actions have shown us one thing: we need a new approach to reclaim our industry. That new approach has brought us to the PCC, and from here, we move to the next stage,” the communique reads.
inDrive, Uber and Bolt logos merged into one The drivers say they have come peacefully and responsibly without violence, provocation or disruption of commercial activities because they believe a peaceable resolution of the myriad of problems facing e-hailing drivers is possible.
The Lagos drivers are borrowing a leaf from the playbook deployed by e-hailing drivers in Abuja who had previously dragged the e-hailing companies before the PCC. Technext reported that the Chairman of the Abuja Council of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), Evans Agada, dragged the e-hailing companies before the PCC over arbitrary deactivation, excessive commissions and low fares.
Subsequently, the commission invited the app companies, along with their regulator in the FCT, to an investigative hearing. This is according to a Chat invite sent by the commission to the state chairman.
“I have the directives of the Honourable Chief Commissioner to draw your attention to the complaint that was lodged against Uber, Bolt and inDrive on the above subject matter. I have further directive to invite you to case chat,” the invite, signed by the commission’s Director of Investigation, Irene Chuka Ogbogu, reads.
The Director of Investigation further stated that the invitation is in line with Section 9(1) of the Public Complaints Commission Act CAP 37 LFN 2004 and that in-person representation at the hearing was mandatory.
The hearing was attended by the FCTA Transport Secretariat, AUATON representatives, and Bolt, while Uber and inDrive were conspicuously absent. After AUATON presented its concerns, the representative of the FCTA Transport Secretariat, Mr Durojaye, reportedly elaborated on the issues of arbitrary deactivation without fair hearing, excessive commission, and low and unsustainable fares, and acknowledged the need for urgent attention.
After extensive deliberations, the Public Complaints Commission directed the FCT Transport Secretariat to ensure that Uber, Bolt, inDrive, and other app-based transport companies addressed the issues in the interest of drivers and the industry.
Moove/UberGo drivers Speaking with Technext after the session, the Abuja AUATON Chairman, Evans Agada, expressed “reasonable satisfaction” with the process so far. This satisfaction is based on the fact that the PCC has listened to their complaints and has remained consistent in pursuing a resolution.
“I am hopeful but cautiously optimistic. The fact that the Transport Secretariat has been directed to work on the three major issues we raised is a positive step. However, I will be more satisfied when we begin to see concrete results for drivers,” he said.
He noted that the three issues: arbitrary deactivation, high commission and low fares, are very important, and expressed hope that the FCTA Transport Secretariat will come back to the PCC with meaningful progress on or before 12 August. In the meantime, the union will continue to engage with the relevant authorities and push for drivers’ interests.
