A group of e-hailing drivers in Lagos has taken the ride-hailing companies Uber, Bolt and inDrive before the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), demanding improved welfare from the platforms. Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, is the country's biggest ride-hailing market; Uber launched in the city in 2014, Bolt followed in 2016, and inDrive arrived later. The PCC is Nigeria's federal ombudsman, established to investigate complaints of administrative injustice against public and private bodies.

The drivers, identified as the Nigerian Drivers Liberation Movement, said they resorted to the complaint because everything else they have tried — including strikes and shutdowns — has failed. Discontent among Nigerian e-hailing drivers has flared repeatedly in recent years, most notably after the removal of petrol subsidies in 2023 sharply raised fuel costs and intensified disputes over fares and commissions. In a communique seen by Technext, the group described the visit to the PCC as a new approach aimed at "reclaiming" their industry.

"Today's visit to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) is not like the strikes or shutdown actions we have taken in the past. Those actions have shown us one thing: we need a new approach to reclaim our industry. That new approach has brought us to the PCC, and from here, we move to the next stage," the communique reads.

The drivers said they came peacefully and responsibly, without violence, provocation or disruption of commercial activities, because they believe a peaceable resolution of the myriad of problems facing e-hailing drivers is possible.

Lagos drivers borrow from Abuja's playbook

The Lagos drivers are borrowing a leaf from the playbook deployed by e-hailing drivers in Abuja, who had previously dragged the ride-hailing companies before the PCC. Technext reported that Evans Agada, Chairman of the Abuja Council of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), lodged the complaint over arbitrary deactivation, excessive commissions and low fares.

The commission subsequently invited the app companies, along with their regulator in the FCT, to an investigative hearing, according to a chat invitation sent 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 was issued in line with Section 9(1) of the Public Complaints Commission Act CAP 37 LFN 2004, and that in-person representation at the hearing was mandatory.

The Abuja hearing

The hearing was attended by the FCTA Transport Secretariat, AUATON representatives and Bolt, while Uber and inDrive were conspicuously absent. After AUATON presented its concerns, Mr Durojaye, the representative of the FCTA Transport Secretariat, reportedly elaborated on the issues of arbitrary deactivation without fair hearing, excessive commission, and low and unsustainable fares, and acknowledged the need for urgent attention.

After extensive deliberations, the Public Complaints Commission directed the FCT Transport Secretariat to ensure that Uber, Bolt, inDrive and other app-based transport companies address the issues in the interest of drivers and the industry.

In Abuja, the FCTA Transport Secretariat sits as the sector's local regulator, and it was that authority the PCC directed to press the platforms for change. Lagos has its own framework: the state government introduced e-hailing regulations in 2020 that require operators to be licensed. Whether the state's transport authorities will be drawn into the Lagos complaint in the same way their FCT counterparts were is among the things to watch as the new case moves through the commission.

"Hopeful but cautiously optimistic"

Speaking with Technext after the session, the Abuja AUATON Chairman, Evans Agada, expressed "reasonable satisfaction" with the process so far. His satisfaction is based on the fact that the PCC has listened to their complaints and has remained consistent in pursuing a resolution.

"I am hopeful but cautiously optimistic. The fact that the Transport Secretariat has been directed to work on the three major issues we raised is a positive step. However, I will be more satisfied when we begin to see concrete results for drivers," he said.

Agada noted that the three issues — arbitrary deactivation, high commission and low fares — are very important, and expressed hope that the FCTA Transport Secretariat will come back to the PCC with meaningful progress on or before 12 August. In the meantime, the union will continue to engage with the relevant authorities and push for drivers' interests.