In the spirit of Customer Service Week, the mobility giant rolled out a series of activities and giveaways across Nigeria to appreciate its drivers and riders. Themed “Bolt Says Thanks” and “Our Daily Heroes,” the celebration is more about gratitude to those who make the platform function day after day.

For drivers, Bolt is dishing out commendable rewards. About 300 drivers across 10 cities are receiving ₦5,000 Chicken Republic meal vouchers, a small but heartfelt nod to their daily grind. 

In Lagos, 150 drivers will get something extra; a proper lunch at the Bolt Driver Engagement Centre on Thursday. The company promises a day of good food, laughter, and lucky dips, where the spin of a wheel could win a prize or two.

Riders, too, aren’t being left out. At Ikeja City Mall (ICM), Bolt is setting up an activation hub where customers can engage in games and walk away with prizes. For the digital crowd, the company is also hosting an Instagram Bingo game with a tempting reward; ₦1 million worth of ride credit for one lucky winner.

And that’s not all. Throughout the Customer Service Week, Bolt plans to hand out more surprises, including spa sessions, shopping vouchers, and even more meal vouchers, as tokens of appreciation for loyal users who have made Bolt their preferred choice in a fiercely competitive market.

Speaking on the initiative, Osi Oguah, General Manager, Bolt Nigeria, said: “At Bolt, we believe our drivers and riders are the real heroes who make what we do possible every single day. This week is about saying thank you to them for their dedication, loyalty, and the positive spirit they bring to our community. ‘Bolt Says Thanks’ is our way of celebrating their everyday efforts and showing that we truly appreciate them.”

For Bolt, the celebration is a statement of value, not just about giving gifts. In spotlighting the people behind the app, the company stresses a message usually lost in corporate noise: no algorithm can replace human effort.

As Customer Service Week unfolds, we see that while technology may boost the operations of Bolt, it’s the people behind the wheel and in the backseat who truly drive the brand forward.

Independence is not only about politics or history; it is also about the everyday freedoms that shape how we live and work.

One of those freedoms is the ability to move, to travel safely, to access opportunities, and to earn a fair living. That is why mobility is such an important part of Nigeria’s growth story.

At inDrive, we see mobility as more than just transportation. For us, it is about giving people back control: control over what they pay, control over when they work, and control over how they earn.

Freedom of Choice

Unlike most ride-hailing platforms, inDrive allows passengers and drivers to agree on the fare before a trip begins. Riders can offer their fare, and drivers have the freedom to accept, decline, or make a counteroffer.

This approach creates a transparent process where both sides have a say, encouraging open negotiation rather than one-sided pricing.

By enabling mutual agreement, the model provides flexibility, ensures clarity before the ride starts, and reflects a more balanced relationship between passengers and drivers.

Freedom to Earn Fairly

Every day, thousands of Nigerians use ride-hailing as a source of income. Yet, high commissions and hidden costs in the industry often take away the very benefits drivers work hard for.

Our approach challenges that by keeping commissions low, ensuring more money stays in drivers’ pockets. Independence should not only be celebrated nationally, it should also be felt individually, in people’s ability to earn and provide for their families.

Safety as a Foundation for Freedom

No one can truly enjoy freedom without safety. That is why inDrive has invested in continually developing new in-app safety features, from emergency buttons to real-time ride sharing.

Beyond technology, we are also working with local partners to raise awareness around road safety. For us, safety is not just a feature,  it is the foundation of trust between riders and drivers.

Driving Local Impact

Nigeria’s progress has always been driven by its people and communities. This is why inDrive continues to explore ways to support local initiatives, from student cashback programs to partnerships that empower entrepreneurs and small businesses.

We believe that when communities thrive, the whole country moves forward.

Looking Ahead

As Nigeria marks another Independence Day, we should all ask ourselves what freedom really means in today’s context.

For us at inDrive, it means fairness, trust, and empowerment in how people move, earn, and connect. Mobility is the lifeblood of every economy,it unlocks opportunities far beyond the road.

This Independence Day, we celebrate not just how far Nigeria has come, but also the everyday freedoms that continue to shape our journey forward.

By early 2025, the company, with a goal to place one million e-bicycles on African roads by 2030, had dismissed most of its 50 employees across departments. 

Internal documents sent to staff in February cited “a substantial decline in revenue, extremely high cost of operations, an unsustainable employee wage bill, and restructuring of the business to adopt a leaner, more efficient structure.”

Barely 10 employees remained after the first round of layoffs, but they too left by mid-year. “We understand that this news is difficult, and we share in the sadness of having to take these steps,” the company wrote in its redundancy notice. 

“Please know that we are doing everything we can to minimize the impact of these layoffs, and that the decision is driven solely by the need to ensure the company’s sustainability in the face of the current economic climate.”

This reveals a challenge in Kenya’s e-mobility market, where delivery riders and commuters are opting for electric motorbikes instead of bicycles. Riders point to cost and power. 

eBee’s eBX model, priced at KES 99,999 ($774) or about KES 9,500 ($74) per month on lease, remains far out of reach for the very workers it targeted, such as boda boda operators. Even with financing options, demand never picked up.

The company’s problems increased when the Tax Appeals Tribunal ruled against it in February 2025 in a dispute with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). eBee had declared its imports as parts for local assembly, which would attract a 10% duty, but regulators disagreed. 

The tribunal ruled the shipments were fully built electric bicycles, subjecting them to a 25% import duty, 16% VAT, and an excise duty of KES 10,520 per unit. The decision left eBee with an additional tax bill of KES 2.78 million ($20,857).

The ruling stressed that the motor, not the battery, is the key defining part of an electric bicycle. eBee’s claim that sourcing batteries locally qualified its products as “assembled in Kenya” was dismissed. 

Industry watchers warn the case could set a precedent for other electric mobility firms, including BasiGo, Ampersand, and Spiro, which also rely on importing parts.

eBee, however, says it is not shutting down. In a written statement, the startup said it “remains operational and focused on serving customers and partners” while maintaining warranty and after-sales services. It also noted a “renewed strategy to strengthen commercial traction and ensure sustainable growth,” but gave no details on which locations were being merged or what form the strategy would take.

Founded in 2021 by Sten Van Der Ham, Jaap Maljers, Isidoor Maljers, and Joost Boeles, eBee built its brand on assembling and leasing e-bikes for courier companies such as Jumia, Glovo, and Bolt. 

The startup also expanded into Uganda and Rwanda through partnerships. Models like the Nyuki cargo bike, retailing at KES 119,999, were marketed for last-mile delivery.

But the timing worked against it. Kenya’s EV adoption remains weak. By mid-2025, only 671 electric vehicles were officially registered, nearly half of them motorcycles. A report by ALN Kenya has already called for clearer tax guidelines, incentives, and stronger public-private partnerships to prevent more startups from folding under regulatory and financial pressure.

Leadership changes have added more tension. In March, CEO and co-founder Sten Van Der Ham resigned, weeks after the company lost its tax dispute. His departure revealed the fragility of a business once seen as a pioneer in Africa’s clean mobility revolution.

If successful, this raise will push its valuation beyond the $1 billion mark, giving the company unicorn status and enable Moove to become one of the top global drivers of sustainable urban transport.

In just over a year, Moove’s annual revenue jumped from $115 million to $360 million. That’s around $30 million a month, driven mostly by its core business of financing cars for Uber drivers and a newer, more focus on fleet management in the U.S. market. 

Moove is no longer just a vehicle financing outfit as it’s now embedding itself in the emerging world of autonomous mobility.

Moove is already managing fleets for Waymo, the self-driving arm of Google’s parent company Alphabet. In Phoenix and Miami, the company handles cleaning, charging, and storage of Waymo’s electric robotaxis. That may sound like back-end work, but it’s a tough role. 

As Waymo rolls out commercial operations in new cities, Moove ensures these vehicles are ready for the road every single day.

Co-founder Ladi Delano said, “The current agreement with Waymo is limited to fleet management.” But Moove wants more. The company is preparing to purchase autonomous vehicles (AVs) directly from manufacturers, lease them to entrepreneurs or businesses, and still maintain full control over their operations, from depot management to charging and cleaning.

Moove is betting that today’s Uber drivers could become tomorrow’s robotaxi fleet owners. By giving them access to mini-fleets of AVs, the company is creating a model where ownership and scale intersect, without sidelining drivers.

The strategy is already global. Moove has financed cars in Africa, India, and the UK, using a drive-to-own model that lets drivers eventually own the vehicles they work with. Now, it’s taking that experience into markets with far more complex regulatory and operational demands, like the U.S.

Its recent acquisition of Brazilian mobility startup Kovi also shows how far Moove is willing to go to scale quickly. That move instantly expanded its revenue base and widened its footprint in Latin America.

To date, the company has secured $750 million in funding, both debt and equity, from investors including Uber, which holds a stake of over 10%, and the Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Investment Company.

Moove has hired over 90 people in the U.S. this year alone. Across the world, its workforce has grown to more than 2,100. This is a global operator with eyes on the evolving future of how people and goods move.

Moove is building the infrastructure behind the AV space. While companies like Waymo develop the tech, Moove is betting that whoever owns and runs the fleets, keeps them clean, charged, and on the road, will hold real power.

And that’s what this $300 million is really about.

As the most populous country in Africa, with the largest economy, Nigeria has massive potential to be an economic powerhouse, not only on the continent but globally as well.

However, recent years have seen the Nigerian economy struggle to rise above the impacts of challenges that have mainly emanated from outside its borders, including the economically devastating Covid-19 pandemic and, more recently, the volatile global economic environment, with steadily rising inflation and interest rates.

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Mobility has a vital role to play in addressing many of these challenges and enabling Nigeria and its people to gain sustainable forward economic momentum.

In addition to the urgent need for more reliable and affordable goods transportation solutions for the fast-growing small- and micro-business sector, people need safe and reliable transport to access the earning opportunities that do become available, not to mention education and healthcare.

The recent stellar growth in the popularity of, and demand for, ride-hailing in many major centres across Nigeria offers compelling evidence of the vital role that reliable and affordable transport offerings play in the sustainable development of the country.

Uber has been at the forefront of this steady e-hailing growth trend since we first entered Nigeria in 2014. While the past eight years have certainly not been without their speed bumps, the steady growth in demand for our services, coupled with the recent entry into the market of several other e-hailing providers, illustrates the significant potential for ride-hailing technology to transform the Nigerian transport landscape for the better – and the economic growth prospects will be bolstered in the process.

A great example of this positive knock-on effect of accessible mobility is the recently launched Uber Go, our most affordable offering to date. It has enabled us to take our value-adding services to all segments of the market, including those that are under-served.

An entirely new rider market is opening for us. Nigerians who previously shied away from ride sharing platforms due to negative cost perceptions are now taking full advantage of the Uber Go service to enjoy affordable, convenient, and stress-free transportation that allows them to access the economic opportunities they need more easily.

Our Uber Connect product offers users access to delivery service at the tap of a button and this has been equally well received, particularly by SMMEs who appreciate having an on-demand small parcel delivery solution that doesn’t force them to significantly inflate their prices due to high courier costs, thereby ensuring that their product offerings are more accessible to larger segments of the population, including price-sensitive consumers.

The valuable role that Uber Connect is playing in underpinning the growth of small businesses in Nigeria is demonstrated by the 85% average quarterly uptake of the service since its inception.

Of course, it’s not just the ‘end-users’ of Uber’s services in Nigeria that benefit; the growing demand for our unique and trusted brand of e-hailing and delivery services is creating an increasing number of income opportunities for drivers.

To support the uptake of these opportunities, we are working to address what has been one of the biggest barriers to entry for new drivers, namely the high cost of vehicle ownership.

Our partnership with Moove Africa gives prospective drivers access to affordable compact vehicles via flexible rental and drive-to-own options. The low weekly repayments on these zero-deposit vehicle access schemes not only enable drivers to earn a steady income but also cover the costs of maintenance and insurance, both of which are cornerstones of a sustainable career as a driver who uses the Uber platform.

As Uber, and the other e-hailing platforms entering African markets, continue to address some of the key mobility and economic earning challenges that still exist in Nigeria in the ways outlined above, we are seeing tangible evidence of the power that our offering has to create a virtuous circle of opportunity that, in turn, leads to general economic upliftment.

And given that Uber currently only operates in 10 of the 36 states in Nigeria, we see immense potential to expand the positive impact of our model and ultimately act as an economic growth catalyst throughout the country in the coming years.

Africa’s leading shared-mobility startup, Treepz, is set to launch Business Treepz, a new service aimed at providing staff bus solutions and bus rental service in a structured, accessible, and predictable manner for corporate organisations including companies, schools, tour operators and individuals.

Treepz announced the launch of this new service on the 16th of September 2022 – to commemorate the company’s three-year anniversary across Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda.

Business Treepz takes away the pain for organizations and individuals who want to rent or hire a high-quality bus for their companies, schools or events.

The service promises to provide customers with the same high standards that Treepz is known for in making commuting better for its customers using its technology.

This service will also help organizations to better manage their business operations by providing them with fleet management solutions backed by technology and data. In turn, these organisations will save time and money while improving the efficiency of their own services.

Parents can now track the commute of their kids to school and back, ensuring they’re safe during their journey. Tour companies no longer have to worry about conveying their clients around the city or between cities – they can simply order a bus through Business Treepz and enjoy peace of mind while they’re on vacation!

Speaking on the launch of the new service, the Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of Treepz, Onyeka Akumah said, “We are excited about launching Business Treepz today because following up on the feedback from our customers, we can better fulfil the requirements of organisations looking to benefit from our high-quality transportation service that also allows the use of technology through our app or websites in Africa.

We are focused on growing our partnerships with businesses and schools to make sure more Africans can move comfortably and safely to wherever they have to go driven by our technology and data.”

Business Treepz is an online platform for users to book a bus tailored to their specific needs with just one click, without having to go through numerous rental platforms or pay exorbitant amounts of money.

The service has been designed with the user’s convenience and comfort in mind and will give them access to all types of bus options. Users can choose from a variety of vehicles which allows them to get a bus to get around town easily.

Business Treepz has so far partnered with top organisations, startups and tour companies including Reddington Schools, Wakanow, and Tek Experts all in Nigeria, while the likes of Charter House (organisers of Miss Malaika) and MTN in Ghana have also enjoyed its service.

The largest musical event in East Africa with close to 20,000 in attendance called the Nyege Nyege Music festival has also been powered by Treepz for transportation needs.

In its pilot phase over the last 3 months, Business Treepz currently provides transportation for 2,000 children in schools daily while making provision for over 1,500 employees of companies similar to a staff bus solution but with data.

So, today, with its full launch, the company is excited about the prospects of growing its client base significantly.

Focusing on Treepz’s recent accomplishments, the company won the Global Startup Awards in Africa beating over 7,000 startups to win the category of Industrial Tech company of the year.

It has also completed more than 2 million customer journeys with over 150,000 registered riders and over 2,000 heroes across East and West Africa.

Treepz is establishing itself daily as the leading shared mobility platform on the African continent and boasts of investors like Google, Techstars, SOSV, LoftyInc and several other reputable VCs to scale its operations.

On the 3rd anniversary celebration, Onyeka said, “We continue to focus on how we build a world-class company that Africans will be proud of its accomplishments in making transportation better on the continent.

To this end, I celebrate my team, co-founders, key stakeholders, partners, riders, heroes/drivers and everyone who has supported our growth to where we are today.

It’s still day one for us and we go back to the drawing board daily to figure out how we do this incredible work of making transportation better for Africans one country at a time.”

Going forward, Treepz will be focused on expanding its services in the three core markets while seeking partners in new African countries, especially in Southern and Northern Africa.

The company continues to ensure it’s at the forefront of sustainable transportation solutions powered by electric and gas vehicles to save CO2 emissions and there will be more around this in the coming years

Abimbola Akinajo who leads as the Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), during a panel session at the Africa Mobility Conference in Eko Hotel, said the government was very much concerned about the future of transportation. 

She revealed that the government plans to complete both the blue and red metro lines this year, to meet the demand of road passengers.

She also added that the yearns for a transport sector driven by technology, where individuals and groups of people can easily engage, track and plan their movements via public and private mobility means by simply engaging their phones.

According to MD LAMATA, future mobility must speak to the ease of mobility by leveraging technology to drive physical infrastructure.

She said all transportation modes such as land, water, and rail must be fully integrated and driven by technology. 

My vision for me is to have a fully integrated transport system by ensuring that road, rail, and water are connected through technology without hassle within a short timeframe. 

“Think of the ease of mobility, so we can’t take away technology from it. We will continue to drive physical infrastructure, which must be aided and completely driven by technology.” 

In another conference, she said, “A study conducted on the red line says it should serve a million passengers, while the blue line should serve 750,000 passengers a day.”

The LAMATA boss also noted that the rail lines would not only be sustainable but would also reduce carbon emissions greatly when they begin operations.

She noted that the blue rail line would be electric, while the engine of the red line, though would run on diesel, can be converted to electric to tie into the plan of reducing combustion in the mega city.

Akinajo explained that building the rail lines had not been so smooth as the workers encountered many challenges in the process.

“Lagos Is a small land area and it is highly populated. The first challenge is securing the right of way. However, securing your corridor is a big challenge.”

She mentioned that the cost of the rail line and every other thing involved in it was also another challenge the authority faced. An example, she added, was that workers had to be very cautious while building the tracks in order not to destroy public utilities like underground pipes.

“We are sharing the track with the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) on the red line from Agbado to Ebute Meta. And then we would be building our own independent track from Ebute Meta to Oyingbo. The final one is when we move from Oyingbo to Marina.”

The LAMATA boss advocated for rail as the best form of mass transit transportation. She said the government was committed to completing all rail projects, as well as the monorail it promised. This development, she said, would bring about more jobs.