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For 12 years, Uber has been a fundamental part of many Nigerians’ day-to-day lives. In particular, they were a major career path for drivers seeking income stability.

On September 2nd 2026, Uber in Nigeria as part of a global restructuring scheme. Their sudden disappearance has certainly left its mark. More than anything, it had us wondering what this means for drivers who depended financially on their Uber earnings. 

Now, we know.

Here are five Nigerian Uber drivers and what this loss means to them.

“I no longer have income for my savings” — James*, M, 40

I drove with Uber for two years. It was a way for me to make extra income, in addition to my small tailoring business. I mostly drove on weekends and usually earned an extra ₦10,000 each weekend. That money went toward my savings and helped me sort out family needs.

When I saw the departure announcement, I thought it was a joke. It was my friend who called me to tell me it was true. 

It’s a hit to my savings for sure. I now have to look for an additional source of income. My best option now is to start Bolt or InDrive, but I’m not sure it’s worth the risk. What if they decide to leave, too?

“I left engineering to be an Uber driver.” — Rotimi*, M, 43.

Uber had been my main source of income when I joined the platform 11 years ago. In fact, it paid me 3x more than my ₦170k/month engineering job. I had to leave the job to focus on Uber. 

However, as the years went by and their international standards dropped — they stopped properly screening their drivers and refused to increase the fare when fuel prices rose — my earnings also dropped. I had to start driving on Bolt and InDrive in 2019 to supplement my earnings. More recently, I added poultry farming to the mix to earn more.

So, when Uber left, I wasn’t earning anything substantial there anymore. While I’m sad that something I’ve invested so much effort in has left the country, I saw it coming from a mile away. They dropped their standards and chose a dirty game. It isn’t a major loss to me. 

“I’ve done over 11,000 trips with them.” — Ladi*, M, 48. 

I first joined Uber in 2016, less than two years after they came to Nigeria, and back then, everything was wonderful. They did background checks on all the drivers, and you had to be properly dressed to drive. I could earn ₦30,000 in just 8 hours of driving a day, and I wouldn’t spend more than ₦5,000 on fuel.

However, when the poor standards set by competing ride-hailing apps became the norm, everything fell apart. I left Uber in 2018 but eventually rejoined in 2019. By then, Uber was a mess, and I was barely earning up to ₦30,000 a week. It went from being my main job to my side hustle.

Still, I’ve been there for a decade and have completed over 11,000 trips. I may not be losing significant income, but it has been such a big part of my life for so long, and I’m so pained that they’re leaving. I’m not cutting down on anything per se, but having a little extra money never hurts.

“It was already going downhill.” — Godswill*, M, 37. 

I drove with Uber for over three years, but by the time I joined, the company was already in a bad state. Uber allowed anyone to drive, even people who couldn’t speak English or read a map. They favoured passengers even when they were rude to us drivers, not to mention the rising cost of fuel, while Uber’s fares stayed the same. I can drive for 12 hours, make ₦50,000, but then lose more than half of it to app commission and maintenance.

Because of this, most of us switch between Uber, Bolt, and inDrive, but even with their declining standards, Uber was the best of all three.

I’m still very shocked that a major company like Uber can leave so many of us stranded. All the money I make to take care of my family comes from my Uber, Bolt, and inDrive money. With Uber gone, I’m worried things will get harder for us, especially now that there are rumours that the other apps will exploit this issue to increase their charges. Hopefully, a better alternative will come up soon. 

“I owe them money, so I’m conflicted.” — Yakubu*, M, 28.

I drove with Uber for 3 years, and the journey wasn’t smooth at all. Instead of paying me, I’m usually in a lot of debt because I do a lot of cash trips, and instead of paying my commission to Uber, I spend the money on maintenance. I’ve put most of my focus on inDrive in recent days because the commission the app takes isn’t as high as Uber’s.

When Uber announced their departure, I was actively paying back my ₦23k commission debt to the company. It was so frustrating; any money I made from my card trips (trips where the app automatically charges the rider) went straight to paying my debt. 

Now that Uber is gone, I feel a little relieved. In an email they sent us, they even promised to send us one final goodbye allowance. I don’t know if I’m entitled to it or if that’s when they’ll try to handle my debt, but for now, I’m relaxed. It’s a small loss compared to what I’m earning from InDrive.

*Names have been changed for the sake of anonymity.

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