Afrigather The worldwide ride-hailing firm Uber has pushed again in opposition to a suggestion that it did not honour a 2020 settlement to share knowledge with the Lagos state authorities. That settlement mandates ride-hailing corporations to share customers’ journey data by giving the federal government backend entry to real-time knowledge.
“Instant corrective motion is crucial to rectify Uber’s non-compliance with the Knowledge Sharing Settlement and API integration of the state,” said Oluwaseun Osiyemi, the Lagos state commissioner of transportation.
Citing safety issues, Osiyemi argued that getting access to journey data was for the “well-being of all Lagos State residents.”
“In all markets that we function in, and Nigeria isn’t any exception, we’re dedicated to being compliant with regulatory necessities,” an Uber spokesperson instructed TechCabal by way of electronic mail.
“Now we have met Lagos State’s regulatory obligations, together with an annual payment, per-trip levy and knowledge sharing necessities,” the identical individual stated.
The 2020 settlement adopted months of dialog between ride-hailing corporations and the Lagos state authorities on the necessity for regulation. These rules aren’t distinctive to Nigeria; in 2016, Uber disclosed that it shared the info of 11.6 million passengers and 600,000 drivers with state and native regulatory authorities. The corporate has beforehand argued that a few of these knowledge factors have been greater than regulators wanted to do their jobs.
But it surely usually has little leeway when it comes up in opposition to governments. In 2020, it agreed, alongside different operators in Nigeria, to pay ₦25 million in annual license charges and ₦20 on every journey as a highway enchancment levy.
It was a greater consequence than motorcycle-hailing startups like Gokada and ORide received, with new rules banning industrial bikes beneath 200cc on highways, primarily wiping out a whole enterprise section.
For now, Uber might want to interact the Lagos state authorities, one thing it has satisfactory expertise in.
“Now we have been a dedicated ride-hailing participant in Nigeria for the previous 8 years and are eager to proceed elevating the trade bar on mobility.”
