The Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) has called on drivers to stop operating on the inDrive platform, citing what it described as ridiculous fares. The position was contained in a statement issued by the Chairman of the Lagos State Council of the union, Comrade Jaiyesimi Azeez.

In the statement, titled HOW INDRIVE LOW-FARE PRICING IS DESTROYING THE DIGNITY OF PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS, the chairman said the central issue was inDrive’s fare negotiation model, which he described as unsustainable and a threat to drivers.

He said the model has, for years, encouraged riders to bargain down the value of a professional driver’s service. Rather than setting ride prices according to the real cost of operation, he said, passengers are invited to name what they are willing to pay, often at amounts that do not reflect fuel costs, vehicle maintenance, depreciation, insurance, traffic, or the driver’s time.

According to him, the result is a race to the bottom, with pressure spreading beyond a single platform and shaping what passengers expect across the wider e-hailing industry.

“ This model has gradually changed passengers’ expectations. Many riders now believe they should decide the value of a driver’s labour, and this mentality has spread across the e-hailing industry ,” Comrade Azeez said.

He said the consequences are severe, arguing that drivers now work longer hours for less income, vehicle maintenance has become unaffordable, many drivers are trapped in debt, professional standards are being undermined, and the wider industry is being pushed toward unsustainable pricing.

Azeez added that inDrive can only continue to operate this model if drivers allow it. He warned that drivers who accept what he described as unsustainable fares are, knowingly or unknowingly, helping weaken the profession for everyone else.

“ I f we want to restore dignity to our profession we must stop supporting pricing models that drive fares lower and lower. I therefore appeal to every professional e-hailing driver to carefully consider where they invest their time and effort. Stand together. Support fair pricing. Reject fares that cannot sustain your business. And stop competing ourselves into poverty ,” he said.

inDrive insists its pricing model gives freedom

inDrive, for its part, has maintained that its bidding model gives freedom for drivers to earn what they want and for riders to pay what they want. The company has also argued that, unlike most ride-hailing platforms, its system allows passengers and drivers to agree on a fare before a trip begins.

According to Country Representative Timothy Oladimeji, the platform has a minimum benchmark that is fair to drivers. He said the company’s bargaining system is designed to discourage exploitation by placing guardrails on how low passengers can bargain and how high drivers can bargain. He said that has created balance.

“ There is a fair minimum benchmark. Our bargaining system discourages exploitation by putting guard rails on how low passengers can bargain and how high drivers can bargain as well. Our social listening and research with drivers show that inDrive has been the balance point for both riders and passengers , ” Oladimeji said.

He added that the platform gives drivers the ability to make informed choices about rides while allowing passengers to secure fair bargains. In his words, the bargaining model allows demand and supply to interact naturally without algorithmic interference.

“ Achieving marketplace balance can be challenging. Our bargaining model ensures that demand and supply interact naturally, without algorithmic interference ,” inDrive’s Nigeria lead said.