It appears InDrive is becoming a victim of its model as some e-hailing drivers have condemned the app company for the ridiculous fare prices which riders hailing vehicles on the app are offering.
This disgruntlement is coming amid widespread complaints of dwindling earnings by the drivers coupled with the harsh economic situation in the country.
According to orders seen by this reporter, a rider offered the paltry sum of 2,000 naira for a trip starting in Fatai Durosinmi-Etti Crescent in Victoria Island to Egbeda. As estimated on the app, the trip distance is 38.6 kilometres and is estimated to last an hour and two minutes. Yet the fare is not enough for three litres of fuel.
Similarly, another ride from 146 Lagos-Epe Express Road to Ogba Magistrate Court, a distance of 37.8 kilometres with an estimated travel time of one hour and three minutes was ordered for 2,000 naira. Furthermore, another 30-kilometre trip that is expected to last an hour and 19 minutes was ordered for a fare of 4,000 naira. The cases are endless.
This appears to be some kind of malfunctioning on the app seeing as the app recommends a base fare which riders could either choose, reduce or increase. That notwithstanding, the drivers are not too pleased with it and are expressing their disappointment.
“Someone needs to sue InDrive because it is becoming worse every day. Somedays I don’t even go out because of the ridiculous amount on the app. I only go out when I get offline. This is because it is of no use. If I venture on such a ridiculous trip, the entire money won’t even be enough for fuel alone.” Ola, a driver said.
“I once received an order from a lady. The trip was for 3,000 naira and it was going to last one hour 38 minutes. I asked the rider if she knew this was an obvious error because a trip that far can’t cost this little. She said how is it an error? I told her the only driver that could carry her that far for 3,000 naira is probably trying to kidnap her. That was how I cancelled the trip,” Tunde said.
On his part, Jeremiah penned a strongly-worded open letter on X formerly Twitter, in which he demanded that InDrive stop giving the riders the power to make ridiculous bids on the app.
“Hello in drive, We wish to bring to your notice in case you are not in touch with our present situation in Nigeria and the current rise of goods and services. There is an increase in the price of fuel and also the cost of maintenance. Stop giving riders the power to make ridicule of our job to render this service. Drivers under this platform are rendering services moving your riders from one point to another safely.
“There has been a recent observation about a ridiculous fare price you input on the App and also giving riders the bargaining power of their own to lower the fare price which eventually put the drivers in a position of no option. This is to let you know that if nothing is done about this as soon as possible, do note that there are other notable platforms that will heed the request of drivers on their platform (s) and do the needful about their pricing.”
The issue might be a fault in InDrive’s app
InDrive, considered one of the Big Three app companies in Nigeria, quickly made itself the darling of Nigerian drivers. It was able to achieve this through its unique model whereby it granted riders the power to set their own fares and drivers the power to accept or make their own counter offers. Essentially, it gave powers of bargaining to both drivers and riders.
It, however, does set a recommended price to begin with. This recommended price is usually a fair one when compared to other apps. The rider usually accepts the recommended price or maybe goes a little lower. But the fares seen on the screenshots are not just a little lower, they are unbelievably and quite ridiculously so. So much so that it is hard to believe riders are just setting these prices themselves.
InDrive’s model has sometimes been described as a fastest-finger model by drivers. This is because they offer the same trip to several drivers and make them hustle for it, thus forcing one of them to quickly choose a lower fare just to get the ride. Because it also does not make provisions for waiting time, some drivers believe it favours the rider more than them.
“I have said it timelessly that InDrive favours their riders and it is very annoying how they play on drivers intelligence. You take our money without going on a trip and there are no charges when riders waste time before he or she gets to the ride. Your IT needs to improve on your database,” Gbenga said.
Teddy another driver said: “The passengers now cancel rides anyhow and leave drivers wasting fuel. We get to pick up point they keep us for 30mins+ all because they know they aren’t paying for waiting time.“
This reporter reached out to InDrive about the problem and will update the story once there is a response.
See also: POLL: Indrive is the most preferred app for Nigerian e-hailing drivers, Bolt falls lower
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