Across Nigeria, ride-hailing drivers are protesting. They’re demandingthat Uber, Bolt and different ride-hailing firmsincrease fares by a minimum of 200%.
A typical weekday morning in Lagos is rush hour, a superb time of the day for cab drivers. But this Wednesday, ride-hailing drivers—suppose: Uber, Bolt, LagRide, Indriver—are protesting. At the course of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transport Workers of Nigeria (AUATWON), ride-hailing drivers are following a sit-at-home order till the ride-hailing firms increase their base fares. The union additionally has different calls for.
According to the National Vice President for Southwest Nigeria (AUATWON), Kolawole Aina, “Each local government in Lagos State and by extension, all states in Nigeria will be protesting today at the same time.” TechCabal additionally understands that the drivers plan to picket the workplaces of Uber in Victoria Island and Bolt in Lekki. “All e-hailing platforms are shut down from today till Friday,” Aina informed TechCabal over the cellphone. “The riders should find another alternative,” he mentioned.
AUATWON is hopeful that the strike is not going to final lengthy. “The strike may not have to last that long if they (Uber and Bolt) do what we ask in time,” Somoye Olalekan, the Public Relations Officer for the union, who’s main the protest in Ifako Ijaiye native authorities, one other location for as we speak’s strike, informed TechCabal. At the time of submitting this report, protest actions have begun in Edo State. Comrade Jolaiya Moses informed TechCabal he would be a part of the motion from there.
Despite the strike motion, which is meant to run until Friday, I might nonetheless discover a driver on the Bolt app who was 5 minutes away. As with most ride-hailing strikes, enforcement is tough as a result of many gig employees want to work day by day to survive or make repayments to the homeowners of vehicles or make good on loans. The AUATWON activity drive understands the enforcement downside, and in Ifako-Ijaiye, the union is stopping drivers who’re working.
AUATWON’s calls for
As TechCabal reported on Tuesday, on the coronary heart of this week’s strike is a requirement by AUATWON asking ride-hailing firms to increase fares by a minimal of 200%. The union can also be asking for a 50% discount in fee—Uber and Bolt gather a 20% fee on each journey—and an finish to the deactivation of drivers who refuse to work due to the low fares and attendant unprofitability. The union can also be searching for the popularity of AUATWON as the consultant physique for his or her pursuits.
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