- Title: NIGERIA-UBER Uber makes entry into Nigeria market with 'safer' taxi services
- Date: 19th August 2015
- Summary: VARIOUS OF FEYI SOMI USING THE UBER APP TO REQUEST FOR A TAXI ON HER PHONE
- Embargoed: 3rd September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVABA71WPYMJWTXYGQH2FSJM1DS0
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Getting around in Nigeria's boisterous city, Lagos can be a nightmare for commuters who often encounter what many call a go-slow - a traffic jam crawling through lanes of hooting yellow buses and rickshaws every day.
Apart from running late, commuters often worry about their safety. Nigeria is one of the world's worst countries for kidnapping, getting in the wrong cab could end up costing you or your family a lot more than the agreed taxi fare.
A number of new taxi service companies are now offering transport options to commuters with a promise of making their travel easier and safer.
Silicon Valley's Uber a new entrant, recently launched its online cab-hailing services here.
The company uses a smart phone app and GPS technology to provide taxi services by linking up customers with a trusted driver who is nearby.
David Aharia is a taxi driver who has been connecting with customers using Uber.
He is on his way to pick up a customer across town. Aharia says the app helps customers find him easily.
"This is a work I love doing because I don't look for customers, it's customer that look for you, so it's not a case that you go out in the morning, you don't have a job to do, with this job I'm always busy so that's why I love doing it," he said.
Customers are able to track their driver's location on their phones.
Feyi Somi an entrepreneur in the city has been using Uber for the last few months and says she finds it more reliable than hailing a taxi on the street.
She is waiting for Aharia to arrive at her office to drop her home after work.
"The cars are very nice, let me put it that way, it's more like luxury, the cars are neat, it's in good working condition, the drivers are professional in what they do, well all the ones I've met are quite good at what they do. And what makes it -- it's cheaper and very convenient. I could just lay down on my bed and oh, I have to go somewhere, I just pick up my phone and make the request and in five to ten minutes, my driver is here and my ride is good to go," she said.
Somi's taxi soon arrives to pick her up.
Many people have a "taxi guy" whom they trust to avoid security risks. But he may not always be available in the traffic-throttled city when you need him.
A gap in the market has created opportunities for Uber and various companies to invest in the country.
Ebi Atawodi, is the general manager, at Uber Lagos.
"Lagos is, it's the New York of Africa, its 21 million people, second contributor to the biggest -- one of the biggest GDPs on the continent as a state not even a country. Its transportation is actually the number 2 after manufacturing, not oil and gas surprisingly, I think Uber at the end of the day we are very sort of excited about cities and moving people around in cities and Lagos is in every sense a city," she said.
Uber is now competing with Easy Taxi, a start-up launched in 2013 with the same strategy.
Easy Taxi was founded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, pioneering online taxi services in Latin America and the brand has now spread to 33 countries around the world.
Easy Taxi has also started services in two other sub-Saharan African countries, Ghana and Kenya.
The Easy Taxi app has proved popular with women and those travelling at night. A new service tailored for corporate clients has already signed up names such as MTN and Samsung.
Uber taxi drivers go through an eight step process of vetting to check their psychological state and car documents.
Drivers must also attend training sessions to learn business ethics and customer service skills.
"Here in Lagos, most of these riders are not used to the system yet, they you know you get to you know go into argument with them sometimes, sometimes, you just have to keep cool, explain to them this is how the Lagos road because they feel when you spend more time in traffic, they're charging them more so we get to explain to them that okay fine, this is how it is in Lagos, this is not our fault and you know and the road it's not easy to drive the Lagos road," said Kingsley Samson, a taxi driver.
Uber, operates in about 60 countries and is worth an estimated 40 billion US dollars.
The firm is planning to expand its operations in Nigeria further and is working to enter the capital, Abuja by the end of the year. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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