One last time for Uber and Taxify

I had written an article about Uber and their issues in Abuja last year; the strike and how that was perhaps the most Naija thing to happen to a foreign brand. We are famous for strike actions in Nigeria. While other nations also engage in striking, the context within which we have ours cannot be compared to theirs. Same damn thing with Uber. Strike actions have been embarked upon in other cities where Uber partners exist with the main issue being pricing. Drivers (partners) would complain that the percentage cut by Uber was too high and the drivers were left with too little.

Uber came to Lagos Nigeria in 2014. The major USP at the time was luxury, convenience and quality rides. Very cool stuff. A girl could attend an event in a Ford Focus and not have to worry about “painted taxi not allowed entry” but it would come at a price. I’ll be honest, for someone earning X amount as salary, N7,000 on Uber from office-home was too much; but shebi it is luxury ride. No wahala. My bank account thought otherwise. Still. People signed up in their droves on the app; drivers and riders alike. It was the most upwardly mobile thing you could be doing in 2015. It was good, I must admit. Only, again, occasionally, I’d have palpitations when the driver was about to end trip and the moment of reckoning came in form of your ride fare.

I remember vividly one day in 2016, on one of those horrendous Lagos-Ibadan spilling to 3rd mainland bridge traffic days, I had taken a yellow and black taxi because my phone died and I couldn’t hail an Uber. By the time we got to Oregun from Landmark, i paid N2,500. We spent not less that 3hrs in traffic. I had honestly estimated in my head how much an Uber would have sucked from my money tube. Bruh, I gave testimony on our church WhatsApp group. Judge me now.

On a serious note now, the arguments about Taxify giving Uber a run for their money is to some an impossibility. I have questions. How do we fail to see that the most Nigerian thing to happen to a business has happened to Uber? And Taxify has capitalised on it greatly. Uber took the time to train drivers and inspect cars – fantastic unrivaled quality assurance – especially when it is on Uber on that driver training thing and you see it is no surprise some of the Taxify drivers act cautiously. But beyond caution. Other Nigerian phenomena have either been overlooked by Uber or they can’t just be arsed to address it and Taxify again, took advantage.

Taxify drivers reportedly have an active WhatsApp group where they share complaints and get feedback from the Taxify admin.

Taxify drivers reportedly have an active WhatsApp group where they share complaints and get feedback from the Taxify admin. From experience, Nigerians do not exactly love to send/read emails. Argue with Mark Essien who replies mails once a week. Give us a number to call! But Uber remain adamant on “sending an email to Sam Allenberg” who is not based in Nigeria and cannot resonate with the issues faced by riders/drivers. We move.

“Nigerian roads are not car worthy so ~~VIO~~ and FRSC should calm down”.

Uber started with Uber Black (luxury rides) and as time went on, with the uniqueness of the Nigerian market, Uber Black was replaced by UberX; cars eligible on the app were relaxed from 2008 models to 2003 and up. I’ll leave you with the words of someone on twitter the other day who said; “nigerian roads are not car worthy so VIO and FRSC should calm down”.

Still on the car matter, the Lagos state government had on a number of occasions given Uber drivers issues with their phone GPS system and some people had advised that riders sat in front with the driver so VIO did not guess it was an Uber. There was someway new model cars and young people being driven in them was intimidating government or our extra conservative subservient backward thinking. Taxify signed up your usual car hire level cars.

The one thing i don’t want you reading to do is, get me wrong. Uber and Taxify are healthy competition for the pathetic transportation system we are plagued with in Lagos. Same people on Uber are the ones on Taxify just like PDP, main opposition party in Nigeria and ruling party APC where some politicians defect to. Let’s not get drunken with the idea that quality of rides will save Uber in Nigeria. Yes, they have more driver liquidity; heck they have more everything liquidity! But is that enough to keep their heads above water? Even if Taxify does not “win” this war, can Uber survive in the hands of its stakeholders?

We are talking about drivers who also have riders apps. They generate artificial surge by themselves by going offline and using their riders app to get on the app trying to hail a cab. Some of these Uber drivers have more than one account. More than once, I have been told by drivers that there are people who sell drivers accounts on Uber. A friend hailed an Uber the other day and saw a Ford on the app but it was a Toyota “big for nothing” that came to pick him. And we think corruption is exclusive to politicians. I would say PMB should bring his corruption fight to these streets but he should get well first.

Nigeria is a unique market. Our realities are very much different from next door neighbour Ghana. Taxify is very reactive in their approach. Not sustainable, but it is improving the perception the public has of them. The major complaint drivers have with Uber since the announcement of a price cut is the 25% they are still taking from the drivers earnings while Taxify takes 15%. Again, unsustainable for Taxify because they do not have half as much liquidity as Uber.

The grief Uber is causing drivers is what makes them feel like Taxify is their safe haven.

The grief Uber is causing drivers is what makes them feel like Taxify is their safe haven. The most prevalent argument many are putting up for Uber is the quality of rides they place above everything else. But this culture of quality is blindsiding them to other serious issues that demand real-time fixing. If Uber keep playing the ostrich or keep reacting to every price move Taxify makes, they expose themselves unduly and further subject their defecting drivers to cutting shows. In Taxify’s case, there is some sympathy in the air, they can either take advantage of that and make things right once and for all or the thunder that will fire their anyhowness will come faster than anyone can imagine.