A Look At The Nationwide Strike By Bolt, Uber, Others

It is no longer news that the ripples generated by government's recent removal of fuel subsidy are instigating strike actions or threats from different groups and interests amongst which are ride-hailing drivers such as Uber, Bolt, LagRide and Indriver who, on Wednesday, began a nationwide strike.

Based on the directives from the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transport Workers of Nigeria (AUATWON), ride-hailing drivers are currently observing a sit-at-home order that can only halt when the ride-hailing companies raise their base fares by 200 per cent.

Going by the account of the National Vice President of AUATWON for Southwest Nigeria, Kolawole Aina, the drivers plan to picket the offices of Uber in Victoria Island and Bolt in Lekki.

However, regardless of the strike action supposedly stretching untill Friday, attempts to book rides using both the Bolt and Uber apps resulted in finding drivers within close ranges.

An Objective Review of the Activities of Ride-hailing Services in Recent Times

The original premise of ride-hailing services was to leverage technology and make traditional taxi services both easily accessible and affordable.

Long before now, traditional taxi services were not just expenses but dependent upon finding a taxi driver that was conversant with the rider's destination.

Some times and many times, this posed a major challenge.

Moreover, these taxis were mostly bereft of conveniences such as air conditioning, GPS-enhanced movements including Google Map, easier coordination by ride-hailing companies based on a central databse of drivers' details, etc. 

Most importantly, ride-hailing services were to leverage technology advantage to make the service highly profitable to drivers and affordable to riders based on economy of scale, features that are exclusive to the traditional taxi operators.

However, since mid last year, ride-hailing drivers have been agitating for one thing or the other resulting in the affordability feature of ride-hailing services taking to flights. 

Critical Assessment

Although the effects of the fuel subsidy removal cannot be denied, however, ride-hailing service providers should not forget the original premise and value proposition for their services in a hurry.

Demanding for a 200 per cent base fare raise is an over kill and defeats the purpose. Otherwise, concerned authorities need to look into these excesses and bare their fangs.