Market Squeeze: Nigeria's Ride-Hailing Drivers End Four-Day Shutdown After Uber and Moove ExitsMarket Squeeze: Nigeria's Ride-Hailing Drivers End Four-Day Shutdown After Uber and Moove Exits
Key Highlights
- AUATON, Nigeria's drivers' union, ended a four-day shutdown on 16 October but still wants a 10% commission cap and fare reviews, after Uber left on 2 September and Moove announced a wind-down.
- Moove says more than 9,000 Nigerian customers used its products, and eligible customers will receive vehicles worth about KSh 3.42B ($26.32M) with no further payments as the business winds down.
- Driver accounts reported commission deductions of about 25% on Uber and Bolt, while Bolt says it charges 20% in Lagos, and Lagos petrol rose more than 60% between February and April.
Nigeria's ride-hailing drivers have gone back to work after a four-day shutdown, but the pressures behind it, from departing platforms to fuel and commission costs, remain.
The drivers' union AUATON ended the stoppage on 16 October and told members to resume normal operations, while still pressing for a 10% commission cap and fare reviews. It follows Uber's exit from Nigeria on 2 September 2026 after 12 years, and Moove's announcement on 8 October that it will wind down its Nigerian business, six years after launching in Lagos. Naira figures here are converted at N1,330 to the dollar and KSh 129.94 to the dollar.
What the exits leave behind
Moove says more than 9,000 Nigerian customers used its products and that vehicles financed through it generated N57B (KSh 5.57B, $42.86M) in revenue. Under the wind-down, eligible customers will receive vehicles worth about N35B (KSh 3.42B, $26.32M) with no further payments for those vehicles.
Bolt reported a 92% week-on-week rise in driver registrations after Uber's exit, though no absolute number was given. A Bolt executive, Appa-Dankyi, said riders remain sensitive to fares.
Commissions and fuel
Driver accounts reported deductions of about 25% on Uber and Bolt and 12% to 15% on inDrive. Those figures are not directly comparable because totals may include taxes and other charges. Bolt says its commission is 20% in Lagos and 21% in Abuja, and it disputes claims that it charges 30%.
Fuel has added to the squeeze. Lagos petrol rose from about N800 (KSh 78.16, $0.60) a litre at the end of February 2026 to between N1,300 and N1,330 (KSh 127.01 to KSh 129.94, $0.98 to $1.00) by mid-April, an increase of more than 60%.
As Mwenendo earlier reported, Uber is concentrating its regional investment in Nairobi after exits elsewhere, and Mwenendo earlier reported on how ride-hailing exits signal challenges for Kenya's gig economy. Lagos shows how quickly a market can change when platforms, financiers and fuel prices move at once.
In Summary
- Who ended the shutdown?
- AUATON, a Nigerian ride-hailing drivers' union.
- What happened?
- The union ended a four-day shutdown on 16 October while still seeking a 10% commission cap and fare reviews.
- What are the key dates?
- Uber exited Nigeria on 2 September 2026; Moove announced its wind-down on 8 October; the shutdown ended on 16 October.
- Where is this happening?
- Nigeria, mainly Lagos and Abuja.
- Why are drivers under pressure?
- Platform exits, commission deductions of about 25% on some accounts, and Lagos petrol up more than 60% between February and April.
- How is Moove winding down?
- Eligible customers will receive vehicles worth about KSh 3.42B ($26.32M) with no further payments on those vehicles.