Drivers’ union demands LagRide vehicles, 5% commission from Uber and Bolt

E-hailing drivers in Lagos state, have demanded that the management of Lagos government-backed Lagos Rides (LagRide) make their cars available to its members.

The drivers, operating under the umbrella of the Lagos Council of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), said the company and its vehicles are initiatives by the government of Babajide Sanwo-Olu to make employment for youths operating in the sector.

In a statement signed by the state council’s chairman and PRO, Jaiyesimi Azeez and seen by this reporter, the union claimed that its members who completed the medicals and finger-printing were not allocated LagRide vehicles after everything, a situation it blames on sabotage by the management of the Lagos-backed taxi company.

“Our able governor Sanwo-olu We have seen your good works through Lagos Ride which is intended to impact the youth of Lagos State but unfortunately this vehicle is not getting to us who are the main stakeholders in the industry. We noticed that individuals entrusted with managing this awesome project are sabotaging your goodwill and efforts in providing for the youths in the e-hailing sector, as we didn’t get the previous LagRide car allocations even after paying for medical and fingerprint,”

The union then requested the allocation of LagRide vehicles to its members while calling on the Lagos State government to recognize the vital contributions of its members and support platforms that prioritize the needs of genuine platform workers, noting that its drivers are the backbone of the transport industry.

AUATON threaten to boycott Uber and Bolt’s app

The drivers also threatened to boycott both Uber and Bolt apps over a commitment made by the app companies to slash fare prices without consulting the drivers. Demonstrating its strength, the council reminded the companies that it represents over 120,000 drivers in Lagos facilitating an average of 500,000 trips daily while serving over 1.5 million passengers.

“It has come to our knowledge that the representatives from certain app companies (uber/bolt) and the Presidential Committee on the National Gas Initiative (PCNGi) met in Abuja regarding fare reduction arrangement and this raises significant concerns within the generality of AUATON members. We want to categorically state that AUATON and its members were not involved in this discussion and do not endorse the decisions emanating from the said meeting in Abuja,” the union said.

Pointing out that drivers who own their vehicles and interface directly with riders understand the pain points, the union said it believes that a crucial decision such as fare reduction for riders should be discussed and agreed upon with the drivers who are the implementing arm of the transaction.

As such, they would not support any unilateral fare reductions whose impact on the operation of their vehicles and livelihoods has not been carefully considered.

The union also demanded to be fully incorporated into the Presidential CNG initiative (PCNGI) as it is the only factor determining whether drivers would accept fare reductions.

In total, the union also demanded that app companies reduce their commission to 5 per cent, that the government provide free CNG kits to retrofit vehicles, and that the union be involved in any price reduction mechanisms, taking into account the rising costs that drivers face.

These costs include increased living costs, rising prices of spare parts and engine oil, higher food prices, and increased school fees and house rents. The union threatened to boycott the apps and shut down their operations if app companies refused to comply with their demands.

See also: Bolt blocks inter-country requests over Nigeria vs South Africa row, blocks mischief makers