Public Complaints Commission to investigate Uber, Bolt, inDrive following driver petition

The Public Complaints Commission (PCC) is set to investigate e-hailing companies Uber, Bolt and inDrive following a petition by the Abuja council chairman of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), Comrade Agada Evans.

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 scheduled for July 13 is mandatory.

“Kindly bring along relevant documents that aid investigation and an amicable resolution of the matter,” the commission says.

“Why we dragged Uber, Bolt and inDrive before the PCC”

According to Mr Agada, he was forced to drag Uber, Bolt and inDrive before the PCC to address the injustices meted out on drivers by the companies. He added that all attempts to get the companies to prioritise driver welfare have failed; therefore, he was left with no option but to seek the government’s intervention.

“The petition is all about what we are going through at the hands of the app companies, Uber, Bolt and inDrive. The high commission, the lack of security, welfare, insurance, arbitrary deactivation of drivers and everything else we have been going through,” Comrade Evans said.

He noted the recent case of Comrade Idongesit Sunday, an Abuja-based driver who was murdered while working. He described this as a classic case of abandonment by the app companies, as his family is yet to receive any form of compensation or condolence from any of the e-hailing companies he worked for.

He also noted that the union had initially petitioned the e-hailing companies before the FCCPC to answer for their disregard and maltreatment of drivers. The FCCPC then transferred the case to the PCC, as the commission is empowered by law to handle such complaints.

He noted that the PCC, after confirming the petitioner, scheduled a hearing date.

“The letter we received from the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) is an opportunity for us to tell the government what drivers are going through in this app business. I have evidence of everything we complained about, and I will tender it on the 13th of July,” he said.

See also: Lagos drivers protest Uber, Bolt and inDrive’s refusal to implement mandatory health insurance