Why Abuja residents prefer online taxis

The incessant cases of one-chance robberies and other insecurity challenges have made mobile taxi the toast of several Abuja residents. The coming of Uber over four years ago has opened the door to other international and local online taxi services with convenience, safety, comfort and affordability among their unique selling points. The recent FCT administration’s […]

The incessant cases of one-chance robberies and other insecurity challenges have made mobile taxi the toast of several Abuja residents. The coming of Uber over four years ago has opened the door to other international and local online taxi services with convenience, safety, comfort and affordability among their unique selling points.

The recent FCT administration’s clampdown on the operators of unpainted taxis, restriction of painted taxis in estates, hotels and some plazas have also forced residents to patronise online taxi services.

“Taxis are not allowed in my estate from 7 pm. There was a day I was coming from an official assignment in Karu I took a painted taxi from Area 1 Roundabout to EFAB Estate in Lokogoma after a friend helped from Karu Roundabout. It was about 2 am. The taxi was not allowed inside the estate. I alighted from the gate and trekked for about six minutes to my house on First Avenue in the estate,” Daniel Ugwu, a resident, said.

He said since then, he stopped patronising painted taxis but was not comfortable with the unpainted ones due to security concerns. “I’ve never been a victim of one-chance robbers but some of my friends had terrible experience so I do not patronise unpainted taxis,” he said.

Ugwu also said he was sceptical about the operations of the online taxi platform until he tried it. “They are now my preferred choice of going out when I could not drive,” he said, adding that he had two online taxi applications on his phone.

Among the popular online taxis platforms are Bolt formerly Taxify, Carbbie and Oga Taxi. Residents download the application to their phones from which they input their locations and destinations. The application then links them with a driver within their location, having requested for a ride. The estimated arrival time differs from application and location.

Another resident said the comfort of the rides endeared the online taxi to her. “You will hardly get a painted taxi driver whose car has a functional air conditioner. If it works, it comes at a great cost, usually double the amount you would have paid,” Omolola Adeyeni said.

Adeyeni said unlike most painted taxis, “the online taxi drivers are not ‘full-time drivers’ so they are neat. They do not reek of alcohol or cigarette and their cars are also neat. They are courteous and not nasty. Though I had a bad experience with one, I had to cancel the ride and make another request. Most of the Uber and Bolt drivers needed five-star rating after the ride, so they work for it by being polite. Some offer refreshments in their cars. But with the conventional taxi drivers, who checks their excesses?” she said.

It is the security measures of the online taxi services that caught Kehinde A., a corps member’s interest. He said with the application, he could share his ride with his parents in Lagos State.

“It was my first time in Abuja. I didn’t now anywhere and couldn’t risk approaching just any taxi driver. So Taxify came to the rescue. I shared my trip with my parents and friends so they know the details of the driver and the vehicle,” he said.

He said he had heard stories about Abuja and taxi drivers, “as a Lagos boy I have to be wise,” he added.

The operations of one-chance syndicates are disturbing to residents. Aramide Owolabi was concerned about cases of one chance robbery in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), “This particular evil has grown to epidemic proportions in Abuja,” Owolabi said in her letter to Daily Trust.

Another resident, Ahmad Jibrin said he preferred the online taxi platform because “it saves me the stress of negotiating the fare. Once I input my destination the likely fare is already showing. With it I can plan my movement and also my budget,” he said.

Bartha Stanley said, “I prefer using Uber because it has more security. Should a driver decide to run away with you or kidnap you he can easily be traced because before joining Uber the drivers are well known by the company.

The company knows the driver’s identity and background and he can be easily traced in the event anything untoward happens. Using online taxi is easier because they have Google map so you’d just put in your address and they will take you there straight without getting lost on the way.

For Yasmeen Muktar, she prefers using Uber to the Abuja painted taxis because she feels more secured in them.

“Sometimes when one enters the normal taxi your pocket gets picked inside the car. So the online taxis are safer. In case of any problem you can easily report the driver through the Uber/Taxify app unlike the painted taxis,” she said.

Another resident, Ummu Salim, said the online taxies are costlier but she prefers using them because of the hot weather in Abuja.

“At least they have air-conditioning inside the car and you get to your destination in your right senses because sometimes the heat makes one to lose it. It is also safer because there are details of the driver and he can be traced immediately something happens.

It is also more convenient because it is allowed to enter almost every estate, unlike the painted taxis and you don’t need cash to ride in an online taxi,” she said.

The Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) said the online taxis are regulated the same way the painted Abuja taxis are.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the DRTS, Mr Kalu Emetu, said the service holds meetings with unions regularly to ensure they comply with traffic rules and regulations in the territory.

He stressed that though they are operating digitally, that does not exempt them from the rules, adding that they are expected to register their vehicles as commercial and if any was caught using a private vehicle for the purpose, it would be impounded and registered as commercial.