Drivers and customers of Uber in Abuja have expressed mixed reactions to the decision by the ride-hailing company to discontinue its operations in Nigeria.
While some described the development as disappointing and likely to affect their income and transportation costs, others said the exit would provide an opportunity for Nigerians to patronise indigenous ride-hailing companies, reports Daily Trust.
Friday Ayegba, an Uber driver, said he was saddened by the development, noting that the platform had provided drivers with bonuses and promotional announcements that helped reduce their operational expenses.
Ayegba, who said he had driven with Uber for almost three years, said the platform had become an important source of income for his family.
“Uber is very important to my family because what I earn from Uber is what I use to support my family. I have achieved a lot from them, and leaving Nigeria now will affect us because we don’t have any app that offers us promos and bonuses like Uber,” he said.
He said the company’s departure would negatively affect his income, although he would have to seek alternatives among other ride-hailing platforms.
Ayegba said he would particularly miss Uber’s navigation system, describing its map as accurate and reliable.
“Anywhere we are going, once you pick the place, the map is accurate. Their money and fare are also good compared to others. Uber normally gives us driver promos that help us adjust our fuel expenditure, but now that they are going, it is going to affect us much,” he said.
A customer, Mercy Marcus, also expressed sadness over the development, saying Uber had been one of the most affordable means of transportation available to her.
“Uber is one of the cheapest means of transportation. Among Bolt, InDrive and Uber, Uber is cheaper,” she said.
Marcus said the departure would increase her transportation expenses, adding that she would miss the affordability and comfort associated with the service.
“It was comfortable, very organised and cheap transport. I’m really going to miss that about Uber — being the cheapest and most affordable comfort ride I could get,” she said.
Former Uber communications executive, Francesca Uriri, expressed deep sadness over the ride-hailing company’s decision to exit Nigeria, describing the development as a painful loss after years of building relationships, campaigns and initiatives around mobility and economic empowerment.
Uriri shared her reaction in an emotional post on Instagram.
Uriri, who previously served as Head of Communications for West Africa at Uber, said she was “heartbroken” by the company’s exit, stressing that her experience with the platform went far beyond simply having a job.
“I’m heartbroken in a way that I can’t fully describe. And honestly, I also feel a little silly. Because it’s just work right? Only, it isn’t,” she wrote.
She said the news that Uber was leaving Nigeria “hit me like a gut punch” because the company’s presence in the country had become intertwined with the lives and stories of many people.
“Because it wasn’t ‘just work.’ It was about real people. Real stories. Real impact,” she said.
Uriri recalled some of the individuals whose stories, she said, had become part of her experience at Uber.
She mentioned Madam Blessing, described as the company’s first female driver-partner who also operated a thriving fashion business.
She also recalled Tobi, a National Youth Service Corps member who won a brand-new car, highlighting what she regarded as some of the personal opportunities and economic impact associated with the platform.
Beyond individual beneficiaries, Uriri paid tribute to the team she worked with, describing them as “easily the most talented, driven and passionate people” she had ever worked with.
She also remembered the campaigns, meetings and cross-functional collaborations that characterised her time with the company.
According to her, the work extended across different parts of society, including the media, government and local communities.
“It was about the mission — mobility, innovation, economic empowerment,” she said.
Uber’s withdrawal represents a significant development in Nigeria’s ride-hailing industry, where the company had helped popularise app-based transportation after launching in Lagos in 2014.
Over the years, its platform became a major part of urban mobility, connecting riders with driver-partners and creating income opportunities for thousands of people.
The exit comes amid a difficult operating environment characterised by rising costs, fuel expenses and intense competition in the ride-hailing market with the arrival of other platforms like Bolt, InDrive and the state-sponsored LagRide, among others.
However, Uber’s decision is also linked to a broader restructuring of its global business, with the company increasingly directing resources towards autonomous mobility and other strategic priorities. Reports indicate that Uber is cutting thousands of jobs globally as part of the shift.
According to Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi, the job cuts are primarily focused on management and coordination roles as the company moves to simplify its organisational structure.
“Today, we’re making a number of significant organisational changes across Uber. We are removing layers, simplifying team structures, refining our global location strategy, and focusing our people and investments against the biggest opportunities ahead of us,” Khosrowshahi said in a memo to employees.
He said the restructuring would reduce Uber’s workforce by about 10%, with affected employees already notified except in countries where local procedures are required.
Khosrowshahi said the decision was not based on employees’ individual contributions but was driven by the company’s changing organisational needs following years of rapid expansion.
Competition, cost of doing business maybe responsible – Expert
A transportation expert, Prof. Ibe Callistus said competition and the cost of doing business may have triggered the exit.
He said the increase in fuel prices, which is a major operating cost, may have shrunk their revenue and profit.
However, he stated that their exit might not affect the passengers and the drivers under them as other competitors would have to expand to capture the market left by Uber.
“Those working under them would still continue to operate but the fact that they are exiting is a minus. Because I am sure there are Nigerians working for them,” he said.
Another customer, Kasim Abdullah, however, said he did not expect Uber’s exit to significantly affect his transportation needs because other ride-hailing platforms were available.
Abdullah said Bolt and InDrive, among other emerging services, could provide alternatives to Uber.
“There is Bolt. There is InDrive, and there are other ones that are coming up now,” he said.
He said he usually compared Uber and Bolt when requesting rides and had observed that Bolt often responded faster, while Uber was generally cheaper.
He said that Uber’s departure could create room for other companies to expand, rather than leave a permanent gap in the ride-hailing market.
“I don’t believe that a company will just sell off their business in a location and vacate like that. I always believe that another entity or company will take over,” he said.
Abdullah added that many drivers already operated across multiple platforms, making it easier for them to migrate to other services.
Emmanuel Ogbor, another driver, said he had no particular concern about Uber’s departure, arguing that the company’s commission and the rising cost of fuel had made its service less attractive to him.
Ogbor said Uber took about 30 per cent from rides, while drivers also had to contend with high fuel costs.
“With the cost of fuel in Nigeria, we are buying fuel for N1,360 now, and they are taking 30 per cent off every ride,” he said.
He described InDrive’s reported commission of 6.1 per cent as fairer and urged Nigerians to patronise indigenous ride-hailing companies.
According to him, Uber’s departure will not personally affect his income because he used the platform mainly as a side hustle.
“As they are departing, we’ll have more time to focus on our own indigenous companies like InDrive,” he said.
Ogbor also played down the possible impact of the development on government revenue, saying taxes paid by drivers would continue to be generated through other e-hailing platforms.
“I don’t know how much government is collecting from them, but as an e-hailing service company, the same tax that we drivers are paying is the same tax that we are paying in every other company.
“So, if they depart, the income and tax will also shift from them to another company,” he said.
