Competition makes the world go around, until someone starts to believe there’s an element of foul play and brings the world to a halt. This is the current situation with Uber Nigeria as its drivers have called for and embarked on a strike in the wake of 40% price cuts the company hoped would keep them price competitive following the choice by rivals, Taxify to slash their prices by 32% late last week. For the customer, its a goldmine. For the drivers, it’s a move that moves them in the direction of less capital seeing as Uber continues to retain a 25% cut off all rides.
Drivers have called for either Uber or Taxify to return to their old prices in a bid to pull all the drivers back to their platforms and suggested that a failure to do so could see them switch camps to another cab service like OgaTaxi which they believe will prioritise the interests of its drivers.
Uber’s two main cities in Nigeria have been home to strikes in the past year which leads to the question, how long does the company have till something else comes along and answers the issues raised?