By Kate Halim
In the past, if you didn’t have a car, and you didn’t want to board any of those decrepit mini-buses called danfo by Lagos residents, you would have to leave your house to get a taxi to take you to your desired destination. But these days, you are one click away from getting taxis anytime, any day. All you have to do is download any of the available ride-sharing apps on your phone and you are good to go.
With Uber and Bolt operating in Nigeria, some men and women who register with them to convey people from one place to another make money to sustain themselves and their families. Even though their experiences vary, they all agree that they make good money working for these ride-sharing companies.
Precious Chetachukwu said that he started driving for Bolt two years ago. He revealed that he went into it because people were making money from it. He said that he bought a car and started working like others too.
Chetachukwu revealed that even though he makes good money on a daily basis, it is not an easy job. He however added that his own case is different from other drivers who were given cars by some people on hire purchase terms. He added that as the owner of the car he uses for Bolt, his body tells him when to rest.
He said: “It is not all the time you will be online working. This is not an easy job because most times, you are working for Bolt. When you drive all day and stay in traffic all day, you will suffer from back and body aches. Because the car I use is mine, sometimes, I log out of the app and rest well before logging in again to get orders from prospective passengers.”
Chetachukwu, who hails from Enugu, stated that Lagos traffic is one of the challenges he faces doing this work. He lamented that he can drive for a long distance to drop off a passenger and the amount he will get at the end of the day might be disappointing, and the company will still collect their percentage. This he noted can be frustrating sometimes.
Another challenge he faces is being warned by Bolt when he cancels rides. He stated that sometimes, he will be logged out from the app if he cancels rides too much. Even though he is not comfortable with going to some areas in Lagos due to traffic and security reasons, he is not happy when he is warned not to reject rides to such areas.
He added that another challenge he faces is safety concerns. He stated that working at night can be scary, especially if you don’t know the area well and you don’t know who your passengers are. “I am always careful while working late at night or early hours of the morning. I would rather cancel a trip than go to areas that are dangerous and areas known for robbery. What I do is that whenever I am working at night, I make sure that my car is in good condition.”
Speaking about how he makes money, Chetachukwu said that he works more during weekends because that is when there is an increase in demand from people.
“During the week, there might be low patronage because of traffic but at weekends, when people have to go out and attend parties, there’s always a surge and that is when we make money,” he said.
The young man told Saturday Sun that one good thing about riding Bolt is that you won’t lack money even though the industry is now saturated. He added that he makes money through bonuses too, adding that if you stay online and work for a number of hours, you will be given a bonus by Bolt. However, he added that if you cancel any trip during the day, you won’t get the bonus.
Chetachukwu said: “As a driver, trying to get this bonus will make you go to places that are not safe. There are some areas where drivers refuse to go to because both the driver and passenger are not safe. There are no safety measures put in place for drivers. The company you work for doesn’t care whether you are safe or not.”
But it’s not all gloom for Chetachukwu who happily revealed that what he loves most about doing this job is meeting different people who connect him to high places and help him make more money. He said that in a good week, he makes close to N100 thousand.
He said that even though driving for Bolt will not make you lack money, you will still use a huge part of the money to put your car in order, eat good food and take care of your needs.
One incident Chetachuwku won’t forget in a hurry happened earlier this year when he dropped off three guys in Iyana Oba at night and after that, his phone started blaring. He said it happened because somebody was tracking his number to find out where he was.
“I was scared to my bones. I had to pack my car in an open filling station and relaxed. I was shaking. I switched off my car, logged out from the app and went home afterwards. I guess they wanted to collect my car but they couldn’t because I had security installed in my car.”
Olabisi Makinde is 32 years old. She started riding for Uber four years ago. The graduate of Economics from the University of Lagos told Saturday Sun that when she started the business of driving people, she didn’t know a lot of places in Lagos. She said that she depended on Google Maps to take her and her passengers to their destination. She confessed that she was also a slow driver and this angered some of her passengers.
Makinde recalled when she had to take a middle-aged woman to the airport four years ago. She said the woman kept telling her to speed up but she couldn’t because she was still new on the job. She stated that she tried her best and dropped the woman off at the airport. But an hour later, she said that the passenger sent her a message calling her names and accusing her of almost making her miss her flight.
She said that the woman insulted her and advised her to go and look for another job because she was so slow like a snail. “I felt bad that day. I was crying while conveying another passenger to her destination and she asked me what the matter was. I explained what happened to her. This young lady was sweet and caring. She consoled me and told me not to give up. She assured me that I would get better on the job. I thanked her and was determined to do my best. I can tell you today that I have become a professional driver,” Makinde said.
Makinde stated that she has made money from Uber since she started the job. She said that she recently bought another car for her younger brother to use for Bolt. “My younger brother is studying at the University of Lagos but he has been at home because of the ASUU strike. Now, he uses the new car I bought for Bolt and he has been making money and remitting a particular amount to me monthly.”
One aspect of being a driver Makinde doesn’t like is how stressful it is. She said driving in Lagos for money-making purposes is not for the faint-hearted. According to her, she works from 6 am to 3 pm and rests. She added that she then resumes her evening duty from 7 pm to 11 pm and then calls it a day. But on weekends, the young lady said she works from 10 pm to 5 am and then rests well afterwards.
“One of the challenges I face as an Uber driver is traffic. Sometimes, you have your day all planned out and set a particular money target you want to make but traffic will mess up your plans. Another challenge is law enforcement officers who are uncountable on Lagos roads demanding money at will and accusing you of different offences. They frustrate me sometimes,” she said.
Makinde stated that she doesn’t like the fact that some law enforcement officers demand money unnecessarily and then waste her time if she refuses to play ball. She added that another challenge she faces on the road when she works is safety.
“For security reasons, there are areas in Lagos I don’t go to. If I ask a potential rider about their destination and they mention any area in that zone, I cancel the trip. I believe that my safety is much more important than money. As a woman, I face more security challenges than men. There are some things I face that men who do this job don’t face.”
Makinde who is engaged to be married next year said that sometimes, some male passengers become creepy and overstep their boundaries. “I remember one guy I was taking to the island one night who said he liked me and wanted to date me. I politely declined his offer. He became abusive and aggressive. He said he would give me a poor rating. He said I was getting old to still be single and choosy. I ignored him. He later sent me a nasty message the next day and I blocked his number.”
Makinde said that the kind of harassment she faces could better be imagined. She said that she is wary of some male passengers because most of them lack scruples. She added that they believe every woman is for grabs and it’s sickening that these men are some women’s husbands and some people’s fathers.
Mr Philip Essien is a single father of one who lives in Abuja. He revealed that he was a bus driver but said the bus was impounded by some law enforcement officers.
He said that he was jobless for over four months and was living from hand to mouth until a Facebook friend bought a car and gave it to him to use for the taxi-hailing service, Bolt.
Essien told Saturday Sun that he started the business in June last year and he never lacks money, stating that his daughter doesn’t owe school fees unlike in the past and he takes better care of her now.
“My daughter’s mother left her in my care and travelled abroad with her boyfriend. She said I should take care of my daughter myself and not saddle her with the responsibility of caring for our child alone since we didn’t get married as we planned.”
Essien, who is bent on taking good care of his daughter, said that she stays with his neighbour and her family when he goes out to work. He added that because of his daughter, he doesn’t work late. He said he stops working by 8 pm and goes back home to be with her. “When I want to work on weekends, I take her to my mother’s place and work all through the weekend to make more money,” he said.
The Akwa Ibom State indigene confessed that one of the challenges he faces doing this job is rude and uncouth passengers. He said that some ladies are so ill-mannered that they will test your patience and if you snap at them, they will report you and claim all manner of things that didn’t happen. He stated that one day, he lost his cool and told one of such riders that she wasn’t raised well.
Narrating what transpired between them, Essien said she requested a ride and when she entered the car, she asked him why he didn’t greet her. He stated that she demanded that he greet her first otherwise, she would give him a bad rating. He said he asked her why he should greet her first seeing she was younger than him and she reminded him that she was his boss because she would pay for his service.
He said: “When I stood my ground and said I wouldn’t greet her, she demanded that I end the ride which I complied with immediately to avoid further confrontation. She started insulting me and calling me a poor man without sense, I insulted her back and drove off. I told her that her parents didn’t do a good job raising her and she sent a message to Bolt afterwards reporting that I was rude to her.”
For Essien, another challenge he faces is that of safety. He said he prays to God before picking up any passenger.
“I am very alert and attentive when I am with passengers because I don’t know who they are, why they ordered a ride and what they are capable of doing in dark and lonely places. This is one of the reasons I don’t work late on weekdays. It is different at weekends because a lot of people are going out to clubs, parties and other engagements even during the early hours of the morning.”
Essien revealed that in a day, he makes up to N20, 000 and if he works throughout the weekend, he makes almost N100, 000. He said that he ensures his car is in order so that he can make his passengers comfortable. “My car is my office, so I keep it in top shape so as to satisfy my passengers and make more money.”
One good aspect of this job that Essien loves is meeting good people who are pleased with him to give him tips. He said that sometimes, he drops passengers who tell him to keep their change and some who add money to the amount the app charged them. He said that he is grateful to these people because they remind him that there are still good people in this country.
According to Essien, riding taxis is a lucrative job but stressful. He stated that he works with everything in him because he doesn’t want to be broke again. He recalled that when he was broke, some people mocked him, and even the ones who gave him money treated him like a leper. He said that he doesn’t want to go back to that time in his life when he begged to eat.
Anthony Obi, a Bolt driver doesn’t like the percentage of commission the app company deducts from what he makes on every ride. He said that taking 25 per cent of the money a driver makes from every trip regardless of the distance he covered, the fuel he consumed or how much time it took him to get there due to traffic is too much.
However, he added that the good thing about being a Bolt driver is that he meets a lot of people who can help him improve his life. Obi, who has been doing the job for three years, stated that he makes money whenever he logs into the app to get passengers but insisted that the job is very stressful.
Obi added that one aspect of being a Bolt driver he enjoys is working at his own pace. “Doing this job, you work when you want to and rest whenever you feel like it. If you want money in your pocket, you go to work. When you make long trips and when there is a surge on the app, you will make more money. You have money all the time being a Bolt driver”, he said.
He noted that some of the issues he faces are traffic and extortion from law enforcement officers. He added that if you are not careful, you may end up spending all your earnings paying these officers.
Obi said that he hasn’t had any unpleasant experiences with any passengers because he is very careful. He stated that whenever he notices that a passenger is the troublesome type, he keeps his mouth shut and doesn’t start a conversation with the person.
Even though he makes money constantly, Obi revealed that there are some areas he doesn’t go to because of bad roads, traffic and security reasons. He said that there are some areas that are prone to robberies and because of that, he stays away from such areas.
Obi said that as a driver, you must work smart and not only hard. “If you go for every trip, you will wreck your car. If you are not careful, if you make N50 thousand in a day, you might spend it all in a mechanic workshop putting your car in order.”
Obi said that he always asks potential passengers where they are going because there are places he doesn’t go. He recalled that last year, he took someone to Okokomaiko. He said that the trip was N3500 but because of the bad roads, his car shocks were damaged. “When I went to buy the shocks that I bought N15, 000 in the past, I was told it was N25, 000. I had to manage the shocks like that and save up money afterwards to buy new ones.”
He said that as a Bolt driver, he can get penalized for cancelling trips. He added that there is a percentage of cancellation of trips that will get you blocked from the app. Obi said: “Sometimes if you cancel trips too much, Bolt will log you out of the app and demand that you attend a training. After you go for the training, they will unblock you and you will start getting ride requests from customers again.”