Against the Odds Uber Celebrates Third Year Anniversary

Today, Uber marks three years (of operation) in Nigeria! Wow, right? Well, for some of us it’s been an awesome ride these last three years and for some others, it’s best to just put it at “not all rides can be smooth even with the same rider.”

As today marks the third year of service to their Nigerian customers, Uber sent a mail out to customers reminding them of Uber’s growth over the years.

Let’s take a quick look at how the last three years have been with Uber Nigeria.

THE GLORY DAYS

On July 23, 2014, Uber arrived Lagos, making it the fourth city in Africa to embrace the on-demand private driver application that was already common place in other climes. Uber Black was the product available at the time; luxury vehicles and only the best customer service (Oh, how we miss those!). There were tales of drivers riding their favourite celebrities and all that fun stuff. You could pull up to an event in a Mercedes or Honda evil spirit for a sum. Uber customers at the time were slightly elite; not everyone could afford the rides and it was clear. Life was good.

Uber had this love relationship going with their customers that on October 1, 2015, every ride on the Uber app was at an amazing discount. The following months saw Uber make deliveries of cupcakes and the likes to its riders. June 15th, 2016 precisely, “Uber users in Lagos were able to request on-demand sweetness via the Uber app and had a Cupcake delivered for FREE at the tap of a button.”* Independence 2016, Uber announced it will give its amazing riders a special ‘independence’ treat. On that day, Uber delivered small chops – puff puff, Mosas, Spring rolls, et al – to the doorsteps of riders in Lagos and Abuja.

ISSUES 😥😥

Barely two years after, in 2016 Lagos welcomed another one of its kind, Taxify which has since remained Uber Nigeria’s number one competitor in the online cab space. Around the time Taxify made its entry into Nigeria, registered drivers in Abuja had begun having operational issues with Uber and, things arguably went south from there. Uber drivers staged protests, lashed out at the app company on social media in relation to complaints that were not being addressed among other issues. Globally, Uber was undergoing law suits and allegations bordering on sexual harassment. The resultant distraction from the mainstay of the app was undeniable.

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THESE DRIVERS AIN’T LOYAL

The Uber issues in Abuja presented the perfect opportunity for Taxify to enter the cab hailing market and steal the loyalty of Uber partners in Lagos. The migration or adoption was slow and passive at first. Then, Taxify came slashing their fare per trip and Uber saw it and so charged on to strengthen its defence. In due time, Uber responded with a 40% slash in price. Unfortunately, this wasn’t welcomed by Uber drivers and caused yet another uproar amongst its Lagos drivers who complained that the pricing affected their own payment. The migration became a virtual exodus. Uber not only lost customers, it also helped Taxify gain more willing partner drivers in (record) short time even though there’s still a debate about it.

#Uber: We should empathise with our customers, partners & drivers. #UberNigeria: Kilonjebe? Ani we’re doing their broke asses a favour se! pic.twitter.com/XcgLVnHSdH

— Amara Nwankpa (@Nwankpa_A) November 18, 2016

NOT ALL DOOM & GLOOM

This all goes without saying there have been some really hilarious moments that Uber championed among its riders and drivers…

#ubernigeria this dude kept me waiting because I refused to tell him my destination…does he want to set a trap ? pic.twitter.com/y9SWfGmG1I

— tayoomolere (@tayoomolere) June 26, 2017

Or when it looked like slashing prices was the best thing to do;

@uberNigeria in the days of no #taxify (surge) VS #UberNigeria in the days of @Taxify_ng (no surge). Trollololol. pic.twitter.com/uYi2k3k9V8

— Babz Henry Apampa (@BHApampa) April 2, 2017

While there are fewer drivers available on Uber these days, there are still a good number of people who are sworn, die-hard Uber users who enjoy the service and use their well thought out features which still gives them an edge over the competition. From scheduling (future) trips to extra earnings for drivers and exclusive Snapchat filters, Uber proves they are forever cool kids. In just 3 years, Uber has basically undergone the business life cycle and though shaken, they remain resilient. Not bad for a 3year old. Not bad at all! Happy birthday, Uber!