“It is a divide and conquer tactic”- cab-hailing drivers reject Bolt’s new driver hub in Lagos

Cab-hailing drivers in Lagos have strongly disapproved of Bolt’s newly launched driver hub in Lekki. The drivers described the initiative as an attempt by the ride-hailing company to divide further and deal with drivers individually, which contrasts the spirit of collective bargaining.

Technext reported that Bolt, on Monday, established a new driver engagement hub in Lagos. The purpose of this hub, according to the e-hailing company, is to enhance its driver-partners experience in its area of operations.

Bolt Nigeria Country Manager, Yahaya Mohammed said the driver hub will enhance the quality of service drivers will experience. These services include improved driver support, effective communication channels, training opportunities, community building, issue resolution, driver appreciation, positive branding etc.

See also: Bolt opens new driver engagement hub in Lagos to resolve driver issues

Reacting to this development, drivers who spoke to Technext said the driver hub is just another ploy by the company to take advantage of the sorry plight of drivers, fragment their union and prevent them from organizing as one powerful force.

One driver, Emmanuel, while noting that they are becoming wiser to the antics of ride-hailing apps like Bolt, said the biggest issue for Bolt and other app companies is to allow collective bargaining with drivers.

“All these things that Bolt is doing is so they can be engaging drivers individually. They should deal with the union otherwise all these things are rub**sh. Reading this (new driver hub) news is so annoying. They say they are building driver hubs to solve drivers’ issues, why don’t they respond to the letters sent to them (by the union)? Why don’t they work with the union let’s have a collective bargain with them?” he said.

Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), Comrade Ibrahim Ayoade shares the same sentiment. According to him, “it is a shame that Bolt has yet to recognize the union”, insisting it was in their best interest to do so.

“This is definitely a 100 per cent divide-and-rule strategy. Bolt still fails to recognise our union up till now. It is a pity a company would blankly refuse to respect the Nigerian constitution and labour law. They’re arrogant to the extent that they brought their own law and imposed their own rules and regulations and survival. Despite their bad treatment of drivers for seven years, they still don’t see that this is the right time for them to embrace dialogue with AUATON,” the comrade said.

Are recent Bolt initiatives designed to divide and conquer?

Recently, Bolt has rolled out several initiatives, in what it describes as measures to support drivers operating on its platform.

The company launched a €20,000 accelerator program to help drivers with business ideas around mobility to scale those businesses. Before then, there was the drive to win a prize campaign to reward drivers with various prizes like household appliances.

But perhaps the one that caught the drivers’ attention, and for the wrong reason, is the 10 per cent commission it recently offered drivers.

This commission came with the condition that drivers must accept lower economy class rides, regardless of how cool their cars are. And the drivers have continued to express their angst at that move.

“What kind of stupid condition is that?” Emmanuel asked. “How can you give someone ram but you’re still holding the rope? Which kind of condition is that, giving 10 per cent on economy class? Have you checked the useless price they are putting on that economy class?”

“Sometimes they even increase the price of the economy class because they know riders won’t go and choose it. If they want to give 10 per cent they should make it 10 per cent flat,” he said.

Going forward, drivers are set for a fight

On the subject of the newly established driver engagement hub, the drivers who spoke to Technext were unanimous on the notion that e-hailing drivers need to band together to fight the app companies if the business were to remain lucrative.

One driver, Omoluabi believes that the union need to proactively take the fight to the government. He alleged that since the app companies ‘settle’ the government, they will always drag their feet whenever issues concerning drivers come up.

“Let the Union take this fight to the Government. Putting ourselves in the media will pressure the government to regulate this sector of transportation. As you know, the government is the only entity that can regulate the sector, not the Union. The Union doesn’t have the powers to regulate but to protect the interests of its members (drivers),” he said.

On this, Comrade Ayoade agrees. He insists that the government’s lack of involvement is the reason why the app companies are at liberty to impose their whims and policies on the entire space without considering the impact of these policies on the lives of millions of Nigerians.

“Using technology to create a business doesn’t put them above the law. I would call on the government to ask these app companies to respect Labour laws because the time will come when the government will not able to stop the uprising of app drivers,” he said.