The Lagos State House of Assembly has summoned Uber, Bolt, Indrive, Rida, and LagRide to appear for a public hearing on Tuesday, June 17 on the growing unrest in the ride-hailing sector.
Chairman, Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), Lagos Chapter, Mr. Azeez Jaiyesimi, made this known in a statement by the union’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Steven Iwindoye, on Monday in Lagos.
Jaiyesimi said the public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, was in response to the petition by AUATON to the assembly.
“The hearing aims to address the growing unrest in the ride-hailing sector and create a framework for safer, fairer, and more accountable operations in the Nigerian gig economy,” Jaiyesimi said.
The petition, titled “Public Petition Against Uber, Bolt, Indrive, Rida, and LagRide for Non-Compliance with the National Collective Agreement and Corporate Negligence Resulting in the Victimisation of App-Based Transport Workers in Nigeria,” raised concerns over insecurity, labour rights violations, and regulatory non-compliance by ride-hailing companies operating in the state.
The petition went ahead to accuse the named platforms of systematic neglect and exploitative practices that continue to endanger the lives and livelihoods of thousands of drivers across Lagos.
Breaking down its key grievances per the petition, the union criticised the poor driver profiling and passenger safety on these platforms, noting the absence of a centralised driver identification system and the lack of proper passenger verification. The union highlighted the incident involving a passenger who was robbed and stabbed by a driver operating via the Indrive app as a case in point.
Another issue is the matter of unilateral pricing policies, as the union accused inDrive, Bolt and other apps of enforcing pricing algorithms without driver consultation, often slashing fares and increasing commissions, leaving drivers unable to sustain their operations.
Another issue is the lack of welfare support, noting that despite high commission deductions, e-hailing drivers reportedly receive no structured welfare or support system, exposing them to financial vulnerability and occupational hazards.
Another grievance is the discrepancies in commission, with the union stating that while the e-hailing companies claim to deduct a standard 25 per cent commission, drivers report real deductions to be significantly higher, thus undermining their income.
The union further accused the companies of suppressing union rights, insisting that the companies have refused to engage with the union, thereby violating workers’ rights to organise and engage in collective bargaining as protected under Nigerian and international labour laws.
Amid other systemic and legal concerns, the petition outlines broader industry-wide issues, which include the misclassification of drivers as “independent contractors,” tentatively denying them full employee protections.
There is also the arbitrary and punitive deactivation of driver accounts, especially for those participating in peaceful protests, as well as the lack of social protections like pensions, insurance, or leave entitlements.
In the petition, AUATON called on the Lagos State House of Assembly to convene a Restorative Justice Conference in July 2025. The conference will bring together the government, app companies like Uber, Bolt, inDrive etc, and drivers to craft a new national policy that would formally recognise drivers as workers with full rights.
The legislators were also mandated to ensure good-faith participation from all ride-hailing companies as well as follow up on the reforms to be agreed. They were also urged to guarantee legislative backing for any policy outcomes developed during the conference, with a clear implementation framework and timeline.
The union also demanded that the House of Assembly enforce a rigorous driver verification system, jointly managed with AUATON, to ensure the safety of passengers and the credibility of drivers. Finally, they were asked to implement strict passenger verification requirements, using verifiable national IDs, to protect drivers from assaults, kidnappings, and fraud.
