The Public Complaints Commission is investigating the taxi-hailing company, inDrive, over reports of exploitative and unregulated practices. This is according to a Case Conference invitation
The Public Complaints Commission is investigating the taxi-hailing company, inDrive, over reports of exploitative and unregulated practices. This is according to a Case Conference invitation with the number PCC/LS/COM.2026/S.503/21, addressed to the Managing Director of inDrive and seen by Technext.
Read also: Bolt Comfort drivers decry low fares, begin no-air-condition campaign in Lagos
The document, signed by the Commission’s Director of Investigation, Mrs Nnadozie Uchenna, stated that a Complaint was received against the company from 2,000 drivers led by Mr Samson Aghedo under the Drivers Liberation Movement.
”They alleged that your company has engaged in exploitative behaviours like: unfair fare cuts and deactivation, exorbitant commission as high as 25% with hidden charges, policies being changed without driver input, and absence of regulation,” the document reads.
Timothy Oladimeji, inDrive Country Representative in Nigeria
The complainants then listed their requests for a better working environment that aids their welfare. These requests include the establishment of a regulatory framework for fare determination with drivers’ input and a legally binding agreement witnessed by PCC stating that terms shall not be deviated from without sixty (60) days’ notice.
The drivers also demanded that the commission charged should not be more than 10% of the total fare, the establishment of driver welfare schemes including insurance and safety, and transparency in fare calculation. To this end, the Commission invited inDrive to a hearing scheduled to be held on Monday, October 5, 2026, by 11 am, at the Commission’s Lagos office at Tafawa Balewa Square.
“I am further directed to invite you to our office for a Case Conference scheduled. Kindly ensure to attend, failure to do so will amount to defiance and is punishable under Section 8(2) of the PCC Act, 2004,” the invitation warned.
Technext reported in August that a group of e-hailing drivers in Lagos, simply identified as the Nigerian Drivers Liberation Movement, 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 said they are resorting to this measure because everything else they had tried, including strikes and shutdowns, had failed.
In a communique by the group seen by Technext, the visit to the PCC is a new approach aimed at “reclaiming” their industry.
“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.
According to the drivers who spoke with Technext, the PCC’s invitation to inDrive is the next step following their complaints. According to them, the complaint was against the three dominant e-hailing companies at the time, and inDrive just happens to be the first to be investigated as the commission is taking on the companies separately. Uber currently no longer operates in Nigeria, which leaves Bolt as the next possible target of the inquiry.
Read also: Lagos drivers drag Uber, Bolt, inDrive before Public Complaints Commission
This development comes after the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) declared a mega protest in October that will see them shut down the Bolt and inDrive apps in Lagos. According to a statement signed by the Chairman of the Lagos State Council of the union, Comrade Jaiyesimi Azeez, the union noted that rising operational costs, vehicle financing obligations, fuel expenses, maintenance costs, insurance, data subscriptions, government levies and other daily expenses have placed enormous financial pressure on drivers.
Bolt, AUATON and inDrive
However, the app companies have refused to adjust their existing fare and commission structures to reflect these realities, creating serious concerns about the sustainability of the profession. The union will be demanding a fare review, noting that app companies must review fares to reflect the prevailing economic realities and the actual cost of operating a vehicle.
The union said it will also be demanding a substantial reduction in commissions with a target of not more than 10 per cent, which will be subject to negotiations and a transparent explanation of any additional charges or deductions.
