The Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) has refuted claims raised by Bolt regarding driver earnings.
While Bolt claimed that drivers retain over 75% of their fares, the union argues that after accounting for operational costs, actual take-home pay falls below 4% of gross daily revenue. AUATON calculates that on a ₦60,000 daily gross, a driver nets only ₦2,300, that is roughly 3.8%, after expenses.
Daily Tech Nigeria gathered that both Bolt and Uber charge a 20-25% commission on every trip. However, drivers in Lagos face a unique set of financial pressures, including daily state levies, high vehicle maintenance costs due to road conditions, and the remittance system, where an estimated 90% of drivers do not own their vehicles and must pay weekly fees to fleet owners.
Fuel is the largest operational expense, costing an average of ₦25,000 per day, nearly 42% of the total daily gross earnings of drivers.
To fit into the current economic conditions, drivers do work between 12 and 15 hours daily, leading to increased fatigue and road safety risks.
AUATON argues that the platform fails to account for the current economic reality of Nigeria. They stated that the combination of commissions of the platform, government taxes, fuel prices, and vehicle hire-purchase payments makes the current model unsustainable.
The union describes the 75% claim as
misleading oversimplification that ignores the net income required for a driver’s survival.
“These claims do not reflect the lived economic realities of drivers who navigate Lagos roads daily. Commission percentages alone do not equate to real income, nor do they account for the severe financial pressures drivers face in Nigeria’s current economic climate” – Comrade Jaiyesimi Azeez, Chairman of the AUATON Lagos State Council
The union has called for a meeting with Bolt, Uber, and inDrive to review fare structures and commission models.
