The time was 1:38 pm, a time when most cab drivers would be preparing to go for lunch. But that was not the case for Mr Fatai Alalade. He was seated at the taxi park in Ogba with a forlorn look as he feared it would be another day of him going home without making any money.

As of that time, he had yet to have passenger for the day.

This is the sad tale of the yellow and black painted cabs who used to be well patronised by many road users in Lagos State. Since the introduction of the transport network companies, Uber and Bolt (formerly Taxify), business has not been thriving for the taxi drivers.

“Uber has killed our businesses. Everybody is now driving Uber and most of our customers have moved to them. Even the old ones, their children don’t allow them to patronise us”, he lamented.

According to him, “before the market intrusion by these aliens”, he made nothing less than 25,000 weekly”.

Alalade is not the only one lamenting. A colleague of his, who operates from Sura Taxi Park in Obalende, Nurudeen Amosun, believes their woes started with the introduction of the transport network companies.

“For most of us, business is no longer what it used to be. If you look around (the park), you can see the looks on the faces of these drivers. They are not happy. Some days, this place is empty. Most of us leave the park and drive around, looking for passengers to pick. Sometimes, we get lucky. Other times, we just burn fuel and achieve nothing.”

When asked about the reason for the slump in business, he didn’t hide his disgust as he blurted in Yoruba “Awon ti won pe ara won ni Uber yi lo fa. His comment showed he blamed Uber for their dwindling fortunes.

“They are everywhere with their cars. People said they are cheap but we have tried to reduce our fares but it is not working,” he further said.

Unknown to taxi drivers like Alalade and Amosun, Uber and Bolt drivers are also complaining of low patronage.

For most Bolt or Uber drivers, the struggle for survival is the same. Unlike Alalade, they have no external competitors to point accusing fingers at. Rather, they blame the influx of other drivers on the same platforms.

“When I first started in 2017, I was making 60,000 – 100,000 weekly. Those were the good old days. Now, to make 20,000 weekly is like sitting for exams. There are many people doing this business”, Emeka, a Bolt driver told makeitglobal.biz

“These days, the job is not for only the unemployed. Even those with good paying jobs are constantly dragging riders with us. Imagine a banker having three different cars on the road for business. This is affecting people like us who depend solely on this for survival”, he said.

For Lekan, a graduate of Accounting from The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, staying afloat requires bending the rules a bit.

“As part of the policies of Uber, drivers keep 75 per cent of the fare while the remaining 25 per cent goes to them (Uber). However, owing to the increase in the number of cars doing this same business, I mostly go offline when I have riders. This means that I keep the whole fare to myself.

“Not that I do this often though but once in a while when sales are very slow. Man must survive”, Lekan said.

He couldn’t be sure if other drivers apply the same method but according to him, “I have heard of people doing other things just to make ends meet”. When asked about the “other things,”Lekan smiled declined to respond.

Makeitglobal.biz talked to some Nigerians on their preferred transportation services.

A businessman, Tolani Odusola, said he preferred taking Uber/Bolt to taking those worn out cars driven by old men.

Tolani said, “I can’t imagine myself taking those yellow and black painted cabs. The cars are worn-out and mostly filled with bedbugs. I just can’t imagine myself in one of them. With Uber/Bolt, there is the comfort. I am enjoying your money’s worth. So, taking those taxis is a no-no for me”.

A civil servant with the Lagos State Government, Sade Bankole believed that those cab drivers need to move with the changing times instead of lamenting.

“In every business you find yourself, you need to prepare for the changing times. Things are always changing but these men have refused to change with time. It is obvious they can’t compete with the likes of Uber and Bolt but have they thought of joining the platform also?” she asked.

A student of the University of Lagos, Tinuola Michaels echoed the same sentiment as Tolani.

“In this present age, it actually looks ridiculous riding in those kinds of cars. You can’t expect me to take one into my school without my friends laughing at me. How many of those cabs have air conditioners in them? I would even suggest the government take those cabs off the roads,” she ended.

Makeitglobal.biz shared the opinions of these citizens with Mr Alalade and Amosun.

Alalade in his reaction, pointing to a battered Opel Zafira 2002 model, said: “I own this car. I know it doesn’t have an air conditioner and I am not sure it will pass the Uber/Bolt test. What this means is that I have to spend a lot of money to upgrade this car to meet the required standard. That is money I don’t have, especially where there is no guarantee of riders.

Amosun in his own reaction, said, “Forget all that excuses. Those people have been patronising us before all these ones (Uber/Bolt) came. During those times, they didn’t see anything wrong in our cars until those people came. If they didn’t come and spoil our business, nobody would be talking about the conditions of our cars.

“Well, the fowl had been feeding before the maize was discovered,” he said.

https://www.makeitglobal.biz/featured/taxi-drivers-uber-bolt/

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