Drivers make N60k daily but take home only 4% – AUATON counters Bolt’s claims

Claims by e-hailing company, Bolt, that drivers take home 75 per cent of their earnings have been refuted by the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON). The union insists that drivers only take home less than 4 per cent of their daily earnings.

This was disclosed in a statement to Technext by the Chairman of the Lagos State Council of the union, Comrade Jaiyesimi Azeez. Describing Bolt’s claim as both unfortunate and misleading.

It claimed that the company portrayed drivers’ earnings on its platform as satisfactory, which is far from reality.

“These claims do not reflect the lived economic realities of drivers who navigate Lagos roads daily. The reality on the ground is far more difficult than the figures presented in the company’s recent public defence,” Comrade Azeez said.

Recall that in a recent publication, Bolt asserted that drivers earn “over 75%” of a ₦5,000 fare. The Chairman noted that, when presented in isolation, the 75 per cent claim does not reflect drivers’ actual take-home earnings because it excludes unavoidable operational costs.

e-Hailing drivers at the Workers Day rally at Onikan

“Commission percentages alone do not equate to real income, nor do they account for the severe financial pressures drivers face in Nigeria’s current economic climate,” the chairman said.

AUATON puts Bolt driver’s take-home at less than 4%

Describing Bolt’s earning breakdown as an oversimplification, Comrade Azeez explained that after Bolt deducts its 25% commission, drivers are left to shoulder multiple compulsory expenses that significantly erode their earnings.

These include fluctuating fuel costs, daily mobile data purchases required to remain active on the app, feeding during long working hours, and routine vehicle maintenance.

He also pointed out that many drivers operate under car partners or fleet owners, to whom they must remit weekly payments of up to ₦70,000, regardless of their earnings.

Beyond operational expenses, drivers in Lagos are also subjected to frequent levies, harassment, and fines imposed by various state task forces and agencies. These charges are unpredictable, unavoidable, and often paid out-of-pocket, shrinking drivers’ net income.

Thus, while the average e-hailing driver may earn a gross total of ₦60,000 a day, usually after working for at least 12 hours, it is grossly misleading to claim that 75 per cent is retained.

“None of these realities is captured in the simplified fare breakdown Bolt presented to the public. One is left to wonder why the company appears determined to mislead the public rather than confront the truth,” the AUATON chair said.

So how much comes to the driver? To give a clear picture, Comrade Azeez provided a breakdown using ₦60,000 per day as the benchmark.

According to him, Bolt and Uber extract between 27 and 38 per cent in the form of commission and the new VAT and booking fees. Adopting the minimum 27 per cent, that comes to ₦16,200.

Fuel is a constant requirement for operations. While the cost of fuel varies by vehicle type, engine capacity, and daily distance covered, on average, an e-hailing driver in Lagos covers 200–250 km daily using 28–30 litres of fuel.

This costs approximately ₦25,000 per day.

Of course, the driver must also fuel himself and on average, a driver spends ₦4,500 daily, for three modest meals. Then there are miscellaneous expenses which include tyre replacement, vehicle repairs, routine servicing, extortion by uniformed personnel, and levies by agberos.

This costs about ₦2,000 daily, although some drivers spend more.

Then there is the vehicle remittance, since about 90 per cent of e-hailing drivers do not own the vehicles they drive. Thus, they remit an average of ₦60,000 weekly to vehicle owners, translating to ₦10,000 per day (based on a 6-day workweek).

Daily Cost of Operations

Thus, for a gross earning of ₦60,000 in a day, a driver might be left with just ₦2,300 at the end of the day, amounting to less than 4 per cent of the total gross earning.

“The average e-hailing driver in Lagos takes home less than ₦3,000 per day. How can anyone survive under such conditions in an economy with soaring inflation and an extremely high cost of living?” the chairman lamented.

See also: Bolt says top drivers earn N1.6 million monthly amid calls for improved welfare

He noted that this grim reality explains why many drivers work 15 hours or more daily just to break even. He said the prolonged driving hours have led to fatigue and exhaustion, which have also led to numerous accidents, some of which were fatal.

He further delved into the trend of drivers negotiating offline trips, claiming that it is usually not out of greed but the sheer will to survive because drivers are being pushed to desperation by exploitative fare structures.

Comrade Jaiyesimi Azeez

He then questioned Bolt’s investments in technology around safety, insurance, and demand generation and wondered why those investments have not translated into fare structures that reflect Nigeria’s inflation, fuel costs, and vehicle maintenance realities.

He further argued that a sustainable ride-hailing industry cannot exist where drivers shoulder nearly all the risk while platforms like Bolt maintain fixed commissions regardless of economic conditions. True sustainability means drivers earn decent, livable income—without debt, exhaustion, or exploitation.

“We therefore call on Bolt, Uber, indrive and other app sharks to move beyond media statements and engage directly with driver representatives to review fare structures, commission models, and support mechanisms in line with the harsh realities on Lagos roads. Transparency must include listening to drivers, not just explaining platform economics,” he finished.

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