Bolt and Uber drivers are now selling their vehicles due to the poor economic hardship currently bedevilling the nation, News About Nigeria reports.
These drivers, operating under the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATWON), have decried the increase in the level of job loss among their members following the withdrawal of investors.
According to the spokesperson of the union, Jossy Olawale, in an interview with PUNCH, vehicle owners are now selling their vehicles due to the country’s dwindling economy. He further stated that investors are also finding it difficult to cope due to the increase in the price of petrol and maintenance costs.
In his words, “Now, some investors who bought cars and gave them to drivers are finding it hard to cope. They are selling out their cars and withdrawing from the business. This is reducing the number of drivers daily, which is really affecting some of our members because many people are losing their jobs.”
Olawale, who revealed that car owners are now withdrawing their cars as they cannot cope with the current economic situation, explained that another major challenge they are facing is that “once your car becomes faulty, the amount you had saved for three months may not be enough to repair it.”
He also called on the federal government to support them with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), as they have been appealing for it. According to him, they are the worst hit by the removal of subsidy and the increase in the pump price of fuel.
The union’s spokesperson also decried the high rates of insecurity that drivers are facing, noting that some drivers have lost their lives in the process.
Speaking further on the security of drivers, he urged the application companies to reveal passenger details to the drivers before pick-up for safety precautions.
“When there are attacks on drivers, the application companies, most times, conceal the data of the passengers. We’ve had a situation whereby there was an attack on a driver, but there was no information about the passenger he carried before the attack. That is why we are calling for adequate data collection, and the government should regulate this sector. The National Identification Number can also be utilized in this regard.”
He also noted that there should be a reduction in the commission of the organizations the drivers are registered under and an increase in transport fares to enable them to cope with these trying times.
