Uber Drivers in Benin Commence 3-day Warning strike

EdoToday reports that e-Hailing drivers in Benin City, under the aegis of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), have expressed their decision to embark on a warning strike starting from today, Monday, July 28, 2025.

This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Edo State Chapter of the union, Comrade Russell Eghaghe.

According to Russell, the warning strike, which would last for three days, became necessary because the pricing structure and commission by the app companies no longer guarantee livable incomes for drivers.

The situation, if not checked, has the potential to boil over, a situation the union is trying hard to avert.

“My table is full of drivers complaining bitterly about this issue. We have to step in to make sure we bring in some order; left to the drivers alone, this protest is belated. But we have to step in to maintain some balance because people are angry. How can you be buying fuel at almost #1,000 per litre, and a company like inDrive will be giving you rides of N1,500 or N2,000 from GRA Benin City to UNIBEN main campus,” he argued.

He pointed out that even when the pump price of fuel was N143 per litre, GRA to Ugbowo Campus of Uniben used to cost as much as N2,500 to N3,500 and even higher, depending on demand. He wondered how the app companies decided that with fuel selling for over N900 per litre in Benin City, it made sense for the same distance to cost less than N2,000.

“That’s a dangerous situation, and drivers may end up transferring aggression to the passengers. We have to just step in before Edo state boils over,” Comrade Eghaghe said.

Pricing war fueling dissatisfaction among Edo drivers

In his chat with Technext, the Chairman of the Edo State Chapter of the union, Russell Eghaghe, said, at its core, the protest is centred around stopping a very unfortunate price war between inDrive and Bolt that is destroying the e-hailing sector in Edo State in particular and the country at large.

He noted that for long, the e-hailing community in Benin City enjoyed relative industrial harmony with the app companies, driven by consistent town hall meetings across the city. However, inDrive came into the picture and, in a bid to win a dominant share of the market, crashed prices to appeal to riders. T

hey did this by giving passengers the feature to reduce prices while setting a price ceiling as to how high drivers can increase prices in a negotiation model.

Following the success of inDrive’s strategy, Bolt allegedly followed suit, cutting its prices and introducing its version of a bidding model.

“Unfortunately, the casualties of this price war are the drivers who are being trampled like the grass in a battle between two elephants, particularly Bolt and inDrive. This is unfortunate. The welfare of drivers who used their money to buy cars, maintain them, buy fuel at a high premium, and spend as much as four to six hours to buy CNG isn’t considered. So by 28 July, we will be undertaking a three-day warning strike to call on the App companies to exercise restraint in their price war and learn to do business with a human face,” the Comrade said.

Comrade Russell Eghaghe further berated inDrive, stating that the app company has a price model that is a mystery to everyone. He said, despite the company’s claim that it has a collective bargaining system where drivers and passengers negotiate price, there is no disclosure on the mechanism for price calculation.

In the face of all these, there is no way to reach the company as they do not have a known office in Benin City.

As for Bolt, the Comrade accused them of having the highest commission and one of the lowest fares due to the price war, and in addition, a situation he described as a clear departure from their tradition. He also accused them of providing zero disclosure on their pricing system and fare calculation, which was very helpful when errors in the price or fare arose on some trips.

“So we need a general upward review, a basic minimum fare price per kilometre, per minute, which can sustain the drivers’ living wage as well as full disclosure on the price mechanisms and fare calculations. Plus modalities to ensure, the realities of unforeseen traffic situations are captured in the final fare price,” he said.

He further provided some clarity on how the strike will be organised, noting that the first day of the three-day strike will last for 24 hours. However, for the second and third days, drivers will boycott the app within the peak hours of the day (6 am to 6 pm). He also noted that compliance won’t be a problem.

“Compliance won’t be a problem. The full weight of the driver community is behind this move. We encourage all e-hailing drivers and members of the e-hailing driver community to put off their apps accordingly for three days to push for better pricing conditions that take into account the responsibility placed on drivers when they get a request. Every driver should be able to conveniently accept a passenger request, complete it and have a basic turnover that will guarantee the maintenance of their cars, which in turn guarantees the safety of the ride, both the drivers and passengers,” he said.