By Rose Okudaye
The Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) have called on the Lagos State Government to revive the LAGRIDE Drive-to-Own Scheme.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos, the Southwest Zonal Chairman, Mr Kolawole Aina said the scheme was designed to serve as some form of support from the government for all ride hailing drivers.
He, however, alleged that it had unfortunately been hijacked by politicians
Aina argued that the initiative could create more jobs and empower more youths, if managed in collaboration with industry professionals and driver unions.
He said that a greater involvement of the drivers’ unions and industry professionals was necessary for the scheme to succeed.
According to him, restrictions that initially prevented them from operating on other ride hailing platforms affected their ability to meet payment obligations for the vehicles.
He maintained that reviving the scheme could create jobs, support youth empowerment and improve transportation services in Lagos.
Also speaking with NAN, a Driver with LAGRIDE, Comrade Abayomi Remigus, alleged that the scheme had been hijacked making it impossible for it to function as originally intended.
He said the scheme was not being properly managed under the new management, thereby, creating difficulties for the drivers.
Remigus stated that the government needed to be proactive and adequately involve the union in order to facilitate the smooth running of the scheme.
He said: “This scheme has a lot more advantage for the youths and the community at large, because they’ll have something to do and not be idle.”
The LAGRIDE driver noted that if, the government wanted to revive the scheme, they would need to work with the association.
He added that most of the features of the app was created by the union from the costing to testing.
He continued that one of the major challenges drivers faced was the constraint that prevented them from working with other ride-hailing platforms.
Remigus added that this affected their ability to meet payment obligations for the vehicles.
According to the stakeholders, the intervention of labour leaders assisted in helping beneficiaries to retain their vehicles and continue making payment.
NAN reports that the LAGRIDE Drive-to-own scheme is a structured performance-based programme that is backed by a $100 million dollars UBA partnership that allows qualified drivers to acquire brand new vehicles through a 10% equity contribution paying the remainder via installments over a 48-month period. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Christiana Fadare