Benjamin Babine, Abuja
Drivers of Uber and Bolt (also known as taxify) in Abuja, yesterday, staged a protest against “exploitative and oppressive” charges by electronic transport companies in the FCT, calling on the Federal Government to set up a proper regulatory body for the e-transport industry.
Under the aegis of Abuja City Pilot Forum (ACPF), City Online Drivers Association (CODA) and the Online Hackney Practitioners Association of Nigeria (OHPAN), the protesters gave the companies regulating their operations in the FCT one week to review their prices or it would direct all riders to delete the mobile applications and work offline.
They further noted that while Bolt charged passengers N70 per kilometre in Benin; N65 per kilometre in Lagos and N60 per kilometre in Enugu, the company charged Abuja passengers N45 per kilometre, despite the continual rise in pump price of petrol, which they claimed was leading to the impoverishment of many Abuja drivers.
President of ACPF, Mr. Philip Terna Emmanuel who spoke on behalf of the drivers said:”We are no longer going to accept this type of treatment anymore, particularly ridiculous charges. When Uber and Bolt came to Nigeria, their charges were fair, but now they are very unfair.