₦airaland Forum

davit:
I was at the Bolt's stakeholders meeting today at Gbagada. I emphasised on the need to go back to their old way of metering rides, not fixed price. Other people in attendance were in support of this. I hope they work on it.
Was there any of us here at the meeting?

Indrive is the only reason why the other apps are doing fixed pricing. In an era where drivers are begging to be on bolt economy, I'm sorry but you're just asking for the impossible. As long as some mumu drivers keep picking ridiculous fares on indrive, fixed pricing is here to stay.

Anyone using CNG converted car to run this hustle here? Is it advisable to convert

Please any car available for hire purchase

Year must be at least 2012

I can make a certain upfront payment and the balance structured for an agreed duration

I can provide guarantors and collateral

Iyenogie30:
Please any car available for hire purchase

Year must be at least 2012

I can make a certain upfront payment and the balance structured for an agreed duration

I can provide guarantors and collateral

Hmmm...I wonder how much a 2012 car will be going for hire purchase now. That's about 10m-12m+. And you'll pay that in how many years?

Iyenogie30:
Please any car available for hire purchase

Year must be at least 2012

I can make a certain upfront payment and the balance structured for an agreed duration

I can provide guarantors and collateral

if you can afford to take 2012 tokunbo car on Hire Purchase, instead of taking that, why not go for lagride, its brand new and it's latest compare to 2012 car.

Hehe dem go wyne you sha, but no panic

YeyeGbami:
Hehe dem go wyne you sha, but no panic

youself dey that group?

This is an interesting read:

https://techcabal.com/2025/02/28/most-profitable-ride-hailing-apps/

Omoapena:
youself dey that group?

Yeske

YeyeGbami:
Hehe dem go wyne you sha, but no panic

500k with the ridiculous prices!

Guess I should stop then

YeyeGbami:
Yeske

na clowns full that group o...

ebiye55:
Please how can I add 'economy' to my categories on Bolt. I'm only on BOLT and hardly get requests

Most riders do economy I guess

Biko

Interesting. This is why prices will keep going south. Some drivers are ready to take bullshit prices.
Na wa o

davit:
Interesting. This is why prices will keep going south. Some drivers are ready to take bullshit prices.
Na wa o

it is what it is...

Omoapena:
na clowns full that group o...

Lol aren’t we all… I hear say no more AC now for riders.

Barbiturate:
500k with the ridiculous prices!

Guess I should stop then

No mind them my oga, just do your thing. Na experience and grace remain like dis.

Any trip wey no make sense na cancellation straight.

YeyeGbami:
Lol aren’t we all… I hear say no more AC now for riders.

lol, shey nah bolt talk that one?

YeyeGbami:
Lol aren’t we all… I hear say no more AC now for riders.

I use my AC steady. Not for riders but for me. That's why I don't do fastest finger to pick nonsense, except the price is initially good when it pops up. Bolt price is now almost the same as indrive and to get ride for bolt now dey tey

YeyeGbami:
No mind them my oga, just do your thing. Na experience and grace remain like dis.

Any trip wey no make sense na cancellation straight.

Me wey dey play! If I stop, wetin I go dey do?
Any day I stay so long and I don't see good request....if I drive home, my wife go still ask me say; Shey every driver don go park for house?.....that I should just manage till it picks up again

Omoapena:
lol, shey nah bolt talk that one?

Na another fb group

Barbiturate:
Me wey dey play! If I stop, wetin I go dey do?
Any day I stay so long and I don't see good request....if I drive home, my wife go still ask me say; Shey every driver don go park for house?.....that I should just manage till it picks up again

Me sef dey do this sometimes, better than roaming around like headless chicken

YeyeGbami:
Na another fb group

this guy wey no normal....

Omoapena:
if you can afford to take 2012 tokunbo car on Hire Purchase, instead of taking that, why not go for lagride, its brand new and it's latest compare to 2012 car.

On point!

everybody for here dey use fuel nobody is using CNG car to do this work, if any pls what advice do you have to give out. Is it advisable to convert to CNG

Lagos drivers reveal the most profitable ride-hailing apps
By
Ngozi Chukwu
Feb 28, 2025
Ride-hailing driver HMO
An Uber driver in a Car | Thibault Penin / Unsplash
When Uber launched in Lagos in 2014, drivers like Kayode Olaniyan made as much as ₦300,000 a week. Today, the story is different. Ride-hailing has become a survivalist hustle, with drivers juggling multiple platforms to maximize earnings amid rising fuel costs, high platform commissions, and relentless fare cuts.

Uber, Bolt, inDrive, and Rida all compete on pricing, and sometimes, these strategies to win market share disadvantage drivers, who shoulder the costs of maintaining and fueling their vehicles.

So, which platform pays best? We spoke to six ride-hailing drivers who frequently switch between apps to find out.

Bolt offers the best deal for driver earnings

For Collins and several other drivers who spoke to TechCabal, Bolt offers the best deal. Its commission is as high as Uber’s (25%), but its fares are generally higher. The lowest fare on Uber is 26% less than Bolt, a difference that adds up over multiple trips.

Drivers say Uber has increased its commission to 30% while slashing fares to compete with InDrive. The result? Lower take-home earnings.

“They don’t own the cars, they don’t maintain them, yet they take so much,” Collins said.

InDrive and Rida, on the other hand, allow passengers to negotiate fares, which often forces drivers to accept unreasonably low prices to stay in business. Despite InDrive’s lower 10% commission, many drivers feel it’s a race to the bottom.

“You will see someone order a ride for ₦2,000, and when you arrive, they’re cramming four people into the car,” says Akhigbe, a gig driver. “If each of them took a bike, the total fare would be much higher. Ride-hailing is a luxury service—not everyone needs to afford it.”

Shrinking earnings are compounded by rising fuel prices and vehicle maintenance costs, making platform commissions even more concerning.

The cost of staying on the road

When Tunde, a Lagos-based Uber driver, completes his 16th trip of the day, he tallies his earnings: ₦36,000. But after spending ₦20,000 on fuel and factoring in Uber’s commission, his take-home pay is far less than expected.

“With Bolt, I can make ₦50,000 to ₦60,000 in a day and have more money left,” he says.

But even Bolt’s slightly higher fares aren’t enough for many drivers. Akhigbe recalls that in three months, Bolt deducted ₦900,000 in commissions from his earnings—but he didn’t even have that amount in savings.

“I earned about ₦3 million, but after fuel and maintenance costs, I barely kept anything,” he says.

One major cost driver incur is fuel. Some ride-hailing drivers spend ₦180,000 per week on fuel alone, plus an additional ₦30,000 for periodic vehicle servicing.

“They should increase the prices. Is it not better for me to do fewer trips and have a good profit than to run around doing so many cheap trips and be left with nothing?” Akhigbe asks.

Another driver who works across multiple platforms told TechCabal that the rising cost of spare parts and oil makes profitability even more difficult, especially for those who lease their cars.

“The car owners keep increasing the weekly payments to make a profit, so drivers end up making even less,” he said.

Olaniyan, the former Uber top earner, now drives a Moove-financed vehicle, which requires him to pay ₦9,400 daily to Moove, plus Uber’s 25% commission. After all deductions, his take-home pay is around ₦15,000 per day.
“If this car were mine, I’d be making a lot more,” he admits.
The weekend hustle is Uber’s edge?
For some, Uber still offers the best earnings—especially on weekends.
Adebayo, an Uber driver who also runs a restaurant, drives only on weekends and says he earns around ₦350,000 every weekend from about 35 trips.

“If I didn’t have my restaurant, I could still afford my annual rent of ₦2.6 million just by driving on Uber every weekend.”
His earnings are significantly boosted because his car is categorized as a “priority car” on Uber, which charges riders 46% more than UberGo, the cheapest option.
Uber also has other pricing tiers—UberX and Uber Comfort—where fares are adjusted based on ride acceptance rates and car quality. A trip from Somolu to Ikeja costs 63% more on Uber Comfort than on UberGo, making car category selection a major factor in driver earnings.

The verdict: which platform pays best?
Bolt driver Akhigbe believes there is no one-size-fits-all answer.
“Every app is different, and the best choice for a driver depends on their personal philosophy, ambitions, education level, and, ultimately, whether they understand that these companies are here to make a profit.”

Conversations with drivers reveal distinct platform preferences:
Bolt: Best overall balance of higher fares and manageable commission.
Uber: Best for weekend drivers and those who can leverage premium car tiers.

InDrive & Rida: Attracts drivers who want high trip volumes but offers the lowest fares.
There is no perfect ride-hailing platform—only trade-offs. Drivers who adapt and switch based on demand stand the best chance of maximizing their earnings.

davit:
Interesting. This is why prices will keep going south. Some drivers are ready to take bullshit prices.
Na wa o

As in, Its really surprising and disappointing at the same time.

Na bolt I blame
Cos I don't know what the economy category is for except they mean no AC for economy ride then it makes sense

dav1002:
As in, Its really surprising and disappointing at the same time.

Na bolt I blame
Cos I don't know what the economy category is for except they mean no AC for economy ride then it makes sense

Na driver i blame, if no driver is using the economy category, riders will be forced to move to regular bolt.. on regular bolt u will wait 2 hours no trip but once u switch to economy u start seen trips , its embarrassing using a 2010 fully equipped car for bolt economy. Bolt/drivers needs to do something

Eyinola1:
Na driver i blame, if no driver is using the economy category, riders will be forced to move to regular bolt.. on regular bolt u will wait 2 hours no trip but once u switch to economy u start seen trips , its embarrassing using a 2010 fully equipped car for bolt economy. Bolt/drivers needs to do something

Wrong. If no bolt economy, riders will be forced to use indrive. Indrive is the sole reason why bolt introduced the economy category, so they don't lose out completely. All thanks to the drivers on indrive accepting ridiculous fares.

Everyday we replay the same mistakes companies like Kodak, Nokia, IBM, Motorola, Blackberry, 2go, Yahoo messenger etc made.
They all failed to adapt to prevailing changes. If u are adverse to change the world will leave u behind.
- U must be constantly looking for avenues to remain afloat in ur business.
- U must continually search for ways to deliver your product/services the way the customer wants it.
- U must look at your environment and design your business plan to model the reality around you not an utopian one.
- U must look at the future and anticipate how the market will change and position yourself to adapt to it. If u can't see the future, u must be flexible enough to quickly adopt the change.

If u fail to do all this, be ready to be relegated to d background and further into obscurity.

Ehailing is undergoing a major shift right now, and except you are doing it part time. Full-time drivers must begin to think fuel saving vehicles, Hybrids, EVs. U are using 2.4 litre engine and above, drop it and go and collect Moove or find a 1.2-1.6 litre engine and buy or take up as rental or HP.

As I speak, I am currently looking for a small car that I fancy, a hybrid car or going for an EV with minimum range of 300miles.
1.8litre engines like Corolla, Elantra and Civic are just scratching the borders of profitability these days. Take ur destiny in your hands and change what is within ur control, stop worrying about what u can't change.

I know this is unrelated but please how do people who drive in Lagos cross from CMD road to Ziatech road (7 UP) or maybe head straight to Maryland or anywhere beyond, do it? That U turn scares the hell out of me everytime.

HelenaWills:
I know this is unrelated but please how do people who drive in Lagos cross from CMD road to Ziatech road (7 UP) or maybe head straight to Maryland or anywhere beyond? That U turn scares the hell out of me everytime.

Not necessarily the U turn itself.... but that point where I want to link up with that expressway, having to drive across to the U turn with speedy vehicles is my problem exactly.

HelenaWills:
I know this is unrelated but please how do people who drive in Lagos cross from CMD road to Ziatech road (7 UP) or maybe head straight to Maryland or anywhere beyond? That U turn scares the hell out of me everytime.

Unfortunately, that's the only point.
Except from CMD road, just head straight to Otedola bridge and make your u-turn there to link Dr. Nurudeen Olowopopo way and link to the expressway, or link Mobolaji Johnson Avenue to your way to Ziatech Road - This is the alternative, but a long journey.
The choice is yours.

Much respect, baba.

Pearl1910:
Everyday we replay the same mistakes companies like Kodak, Nokia, IBM, Motorola, Blackberry, 2go, Yahoo messenger etc made.
They all failed to adapt to prevailing changes. If u are adverse to change the world will leave u behind.
- U must be constantly looking for avenues to remain afloat in ur business.
- U must continually search for ways to deliver your product/services the way the customer wants it.
- U must look at your environment and design your business plan to model the reality around you not an utopian one.
- U must look at the future and anticipate how the market will change and position yourself to adapt to it. If u can't see the future, u must be flexible enough to quickly adopt the change.

If u fail to do all this, be ready to be relegated to d background and further into obscurity.

Ehailing is undergoing a major shift right now, and except you are doing it part time. Full-time drivers must begin to think fuel saving vehicles, Hybrids, EVs. U are using 2.4 litre engine and above, drop it and go and collect Moove or find a 1.2-1.6 litre engine and buy or take up as rental or HP.

As I speak, I am currently looking for a small car that I fancy, a hybrid car or going for an EV with minimum range of 300miles.
1.8litre engines like Corolla, Elantra and Civic are just scratching the borders of profitability these days. Take ur destiny in your hands and change what is within ur control, stop worrying about what u can't change.

Let them be playing and complaining about indrive and rida....moove is cashing out, what most riders need is a feeling of security in a car and being able to order a ride at any corner or any given time. More of indrive-like apps may come up in the future and the race gets more difficult