When it comes to ride sharing companies, Uber is in a league of its own. However in order to compete with its rivals (read Taxify) in developing countries, Uber usually always lowers its standards, sometimes to gutter level.
Frankly Taxify when it was first introduced was marketed as a cheaper alternative to Uber. The cars were older models, and usually more rickety than Uber platform cars. Taxify also charged less. Uber started competing with Taxify on fares instead of serving its own niche and Taxify dragged Uber Nigeria down to its standards.
The biggest loser in this business competition is the consumer. Riders who were okay had to deal with reduced standards on the Uber platform and started using Taxify interchangeably because why not? They were after all the same.
Uber basically made the ride sharing company drivers in Nigeria kings and demi-gods. The drivers would register their jalopy with the two platforms and start giving consumers nightmares. I have literally cursed out an Uber driver for cancelling on me for no reason other than the fact that he had called me first, discovered my location and then changed his mind.
I always liked the policy of Uber and other companies not letting the drivers know the destination until the passenger had been picked up as this reduces the driver cancellation rate and improves customer satisfaction. Drivers in Nigeria usually bypass this by calling the rider and asking where you are going to first, before letting you know whether they will come or not. This attitude was born as the drivers responded to Uber’s price slash last year in order to compete with Taxify.
However Taxify and Uber both have a Nigeria policy of not letting the customer enter the destination until long after they are picked up. So I can order a Taxify in Lagos and not bother to enter the destination until I ACTUALLY get to my destination, at which point the fare will be determined and charged to my card or cash depending on my payment mode. If you dont believe me try and do it from your phone right now on the 29th of January 2018 at 1800 hours it works, ON BOTH APPS.
Now this is seriously uncool if you are a driver, and it can be a bit frustrating especially if you have a fare on your hands you will rather not bother with. It can lead to beef as we all saw in the Dorcas Fapson and Henry Nnaemeka dilemma on Taxify’s platform.
I imagine at some point the driver did not want to be bothered with his rider and found it difficult to deal with the situation especially as there was no destination. If Dorcas did not order the initial ride on her own mobile device I imagine she would have been a bit more agitated trying to get a new ride in the middle of the night. It is VERY frustrating for a rider when your safety is at stake. Uber and Taxify should make public the steps a driver is to take should he change his mind on a trip. Can he dump passengers anywhere in the middle of the dark? Or should the app have a feature where the rider is entitled to have another cab come or be dropped off in a safe space before the driver is allowed to leave.
Uber and Taxify need to fix their app or if they are going to leave it broken, they should let the public know the best practices for using their services and how to avoid the pitfalls. It is 2018 and people need to stop beefing already.