I was on a work trip to Lagos, Nigeria, and like many visitors, I booked a Bolt from the Mainland to the Island. Along the way, I struck up a conversation with the driver that revealed the economics of ride-hailing in Africa’s largest city.
He told me he juggles Bolt with a full-time office job. His routine runs from Sunday to Saturday, with no day off. In his words, driving is not a side hustle anymore, it is survival.
Navigating Lagos with Google Maps
Traffic in Lagos is legendary. When asked how he avoids gridlock, he smiled. “I use Google Maps more than the Bolt app. The colours guide me, red means no movement, blue is perfect, black is slow traffic.”
It was a reminder that even in a tech-enabled platform, drivers often turn to third-party tools for accuracy.
The Economics of a Month on the Road
Then came the numbers. On a good day, after paying for fuel and commissions, he takes home between ₦12,000 and ₦15,000. Multiply that by six days of active driving, and his monthly income from Bolt averages ₦250,000 to ₦350,000.
But the picture changes quickly when fuel costs spike. With petrol at ₦895 per litre, he says some weeks his profit shrinks by half. After factoring in car maintenance, road levies, and occasional fines from traffic agencies, his effective take-home can dip as low as ₦180,000 a month.
For context, Nigeria’s new minimum wage is pegged at ₦70,000, which means a full-time Bolt driver can earn up to four times the statutory minimum. Yet, the volatility of fuel and the stress of Lagos roads mean the margin is thinner than it looks.
Isolation Instead of Community
Unlike other gig workers who form support groups, he avoids WhatsApp and Telegram driver circles. “Most drivers won’t connect you to customers. They prefer to keep the work for themselves,” he explained. This leaves many drivers navigating not just traffic, but also the business alone.
Challenges Beyond the App
When asked about his biggest daily struggles, his list was long: “LASTMA, road safety, police, and bad roads.” Technology solves navigation, but it cannot shield drivers from the physical and regulatory friction of operating in Nigeria’s biggest city.
Editor’s Note
Ride-hailing remains a lifeline for thousands of Nigerians. The earnings can look attractive on paper, but hidden costs and the sheer grind erode that advantage.
For Lagos drivers, every kilometre is a calculation between fuel prices, app commissions, and road hazards. Technology enables survival, but resilience powers the rest.
Forward-looking insight: As electric vehicles and more efficient mapping tools slowly enter African markets, the real question is whether platforms like Bolt can create a system where drivers keep more of their income, instead of losing it to fuel pumps and broken roads.
