Uber, Bolt drivers seek unified regulatory framework to address industry challenges

E-hailing drivers, under the aegis of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), have asked the federal government for a framework to regulate the industry.

In an interview with NAN on Sunday, Kolawole Aina, south-west vice-president of AUATON, said drivers under its platform included Uber, Bolt, inDrive, and others.

Aina said a federal government regulatory framework that would supersede states’ rules had been a long-term goal of the union.

The AUATON vice-president said e-hailing drivers are currently in 26 states across the nation, including the federal capital territory (FCT).

According to Aina, about 15 or 17 of the states have a regulatory framework that “has never favoured drivers of e-hailing rides”.

“So, we as a national union are looking at a national or a federal regulatory framework that will actually centre around all the stakeholders,” he said.

“All the stakeholders including the government, the app company, the drivers, and even the passengers will have their activities in relation to e-hailing rides regulated.

“It is only the drivers that think about how the states and the app companies are going to make money, and at the end of it, the drivers and riders bear all the burden.”

‘FRAMEWORK WILL REDUCE MULTIPLE TAXATION, KIDNAPPINGS’

Aina said the national framework would benefit all stakeholders and help reduce the multiple taxation imposed on drivers.

The also said the demand for a national regulatory framework was the reason behind the conference hosted by AUATON in 2024.

He said the association would host another conference in 2025, bringing stakeholders together to discuss the national regulatory framework.

“A national regulatory framework can also reduce the rate of kidnapping of our drivers, especially if profiling of passengers is introduced the same way drivers are profiled,” he added.

“One of the challenges we face is that we have not found the government approachable to listen to our demands.

“We are taxpayers and contribute to the economy, so we need to be listened to.’’

Aina called for better relationship between the app-based companies, governments, and drivers for seamless business operations in the country.

AUATON is a registered trade union under the ministry of labour and employment and an affiliate member of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

Its members include e-hailing or online transport drivers, app-based bike and bicycle food delivery and courier delivery workers (dispatch), app-based bike passenger workers, and app-based bus passenger workers in the online sub-sector of Nigeria’s transport industry.