Lagos to sanction Uber over ‘non-adherence’ to data sharing agreement

The Lagos state government says it will sanction the Uber technologies system Nigeria for “failure to comply with essential data sharing agreements”.

In a statement on Friday, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Lagos commissioner for transportation, said the violation of established regulations by the e-hailing company is “alarming”.

Osiyemi emphasised that integration of the application programme interface (API) will enable “real-time data sharing for government monitoring and accountability during active trips”.

The commissioner said, “immediate corrective action is imperative to rectify Uber’s non-compliance with the data sharing agreement and API integration of the state”.

He asked Uber to seek a resolution within the established regulatory framework or risk stern sanctions in line with state laws and regulations.

The commissioner urged users to “take caution as the sanction when in place, will equally affect” the operations of Uber.

THE REGULATION

In August 2020, the Lagos state government revised the regulations for e-hailing service operators in the state.

The state government announced the review of the regulations after a meeting of operators of ride-hailing taxi services.

The state government said operators unanimously adopted the new regulations after all parties jointly reviewed the contentious items in the framework.

Frederic Oladeinde, former Lagos commissioner for transportation, said the operators are expected to release data for trip movement.

“We are not asking the e-hailing companies to release detailed data. All we are asking from them is data for trip movement so that we can calculate the right charge and levy due to the government. This data is to be supplied every week,” Oladeinde had said.