Kehinde is a Marketing Executive. On July 5, he tried booking a Gokada ride to quickly attend a meeting in Apapa from his office in Ikeja. He tried at least 5 times, and all his attempts returned a “no driver available” report. Then at the 6th attempt, a rider accepted the request but told him to cancel since he was still on a trip. And then he abandoned the option and hitched a commercial bus instead, he told Nigeria Today.

“It’s total madness. These guys are beating the system. Gokada has got to do something fast,” a clearly infuriated Kehinde said.

Narrating a similar experience, another Gokada user, Emmanuel, an office assistant in Ikeja told Nigeria Today how he eventually got rid of the app.

“It rained that day and that the traffic was really bad. So, I really hoped that a Gokada will come handy. And then I tried for more than 20 minutes before I got a driver. So, I called this guy, he picked the call and told me where he was, about 800 metres from my location and I told him where I was.

“It shouldn’t take him more than 5 minutes to arrive. He said he was coming. I waited for 10 minutes; he didn’t show up. Another thirty minutes; this guy still didn’t show up. I called him but he wouldn’t pick. And then I left and boarded public transport.

“After that day, I decided to uninstall. I was hoping that maybe something happened, but until the end of that day, that guy didn’t call. I was so disappointed,” he said.

He added: “The company really needs to work on their drivers. Sometimes, when you get a driver, you wait for him to call, he won’t. And then you decide to call but then the number isn’t connecting. And I’m wondering why the app is sending me a driver whose phone is switched off.”

After listening to these stories, this reporter decided to conduct further investigation. The reporter downloaded the Gokada app and tried to order a ride severally to no avail. And then he decided to head to the nearest bus stop - Stadium bus stop in Surulere where he saw two Gokada motorcycles stationed.

Also Read: Foreign Investors Battle For Africa’s Okada Business[http://nigeriatodaynews.com/news/Foreign-Investors-Battle-For-Africa%E2%80%99S-Okada-Business]

He entered the location and a destination and confirmed the request, but the report came back negative as you can see in the picture above.

He then decided to approach the drivers who already rushed him asking his destination just the way regular unbranded Okadas do. When he demanded that they use the app, they declined.

These experiences portray an unravelling threat to the relatively new motorcycle taxi hailing services proliferating in the commercial city of Lagos.

Hailed as a huge relief to commuters in the traffic-ridden mega-city when it launched in Lagos in 2018, Gokada uses a mobile app to connect desperate users hoping to beat the unrelenting Lagos’ traffic with motorcycle drivers operating a 200cc grade motorbikes approved by the Lagos authorities for major roads in the state.

It was a major hit in the first year, as the firm boasted over 5,000 rides per day and then acquired more than 1,000 motorcycles to meet the growing demand.

Like most on-demand transport services, the motorcycle taxi relies on an online connection between riders and drivers, but over the past month, the drivers have been scuttling this setup, choosing instead to go offline and pick passengers like other unregistered and unregulated local motorcycle taxis. This has created an artificial scarcity of drivers, forcing the users to flag them offline and negotiate a fare which is usually higher than those estimated by the app.

App’s Low Fare Estimates Driving Drivers Offline

A Gokada driver, Anthony (the other name withheld) who spoke to Nigeria Today said Okada's app underestimates the fares and that accounts for why he always prefers to go offline or renegotiate the app’s fare estimates when he gets a rider through the app.

According to him, he doesn’t embark on any trip without renegotiating the fare.

“We have a target to meet daily. And we must fuel the bike. And there must be something left to take home. But the prices that the apps give are just not fair to us,” he said.

Compared to unregistered motorcycle taxis, Okada's fares are about 25 to 50% cheaper. For instance, a 15km ride from Ikeja city mall to Oshodi on a Gokada could cost between N750 to N1,050. This destination could be as high as N2,000 to N2,500 on an unregistered motorcycle taxi.

Gokada Begins A Crackdown

This development hasn’t gone unnoticed by the management of the company. Last week, the firm sent out emails to their users promising a N5,000 reward to any rider who reports any driver picking passengers offline.

According to the firm, vices for which the N5,000 reward could be earned when reported also include reckless driving, driving without helmet, overcharging, breaking traffic rules and taking more than a passenger per trip.

“Please note that it is important to capture the pilot’s plate number to enable us to identify the reported pilot. We are only a step away from delivering the best bike-hailing experience you can get! The reward is unlimited, as long as you have a bad experience with any pilot,” the mail said.

Founded by Deji Oduntan, and Bangladesh techpreneur Fahim Saleh in January 2018, Gokada has been described as the future of transportation in the country. But this breach of trust by its partner drivers poses a significant threat to the survival and growth of the hailing service. The managers, therefore, need to look for a creative solution as soon as possible.

[http://nigeriatodaynews.com/news/Hiding-In-Plain-Sight-How-Gokada-Drivers-Are-Boycotting-The-App-And-Turning-To-Offline-Demand

THOSE MUST BE DIPORTIVO AND GAZZUZZ'S BIKES PARKED THERE

Loopholes are always created to beat a supposedly legit system. What a country

Are they required to pay for the okada they ride or does the company sponsor the bikes? That will help me analyse them