Lagride has deployed a new set of brand new vehicles under its Drive To Own programme, marking a significant milestone in its plan to expand structured pathways from professional driving to long-term vehicle ownership for captains.
Drive To Own is a performance-led initiative designed to reward captains who consistently meet measurable standards, including service quality, safety, compliance, ride completion, customer feedback, and overall operational discipline on the platform. The programme is backed by a $100m facility from United Bank for Africa (UBA), supporting Lagride’s plan to scale responsibly with strong governance and clear accountability, with a target of deploying 3,500 vehicles as the programme expands.
Lagride’s Drive To Own $100m partnership with UBA was launched in December by Chief Diana Chen, Chairman of Lagride, and Oliver Alawuba, Group Managing Director and CEO of UBA, and the programme is already delivering tangible outcomes as the rollout progresses
Speaking at the event, Mildred Ekanem, Executive Director, Lagride, said the deployment reflects Lagride’s commitment to building sustainable livelihoods while improving service standards for customers across Lagos.
“Drive To Own is built on structure and measurable performance,” Ekanem said. “This deployment is proof that when captains commit to a standard, the platform will commit to them in return. With UBA as a key partner and a strong financial backbone behind the programme, we are building a credible ownership engine that strengthens service quality and expands opportunity for captains over time. Our ambition is clear: scale responsibly and reach a deployment target of 3,500 vehicles as the programme grows.”
Ekanem added that the programme’s approach is driven by verifiable performance records generated through Lagride’s rental framework, which provides consistency and accountability for both the platform and its financial partners.
“Access to finance at this scale requires trust and data,” she said. “The rental period created a disciplined operating framework that produced the performance history needed for this model to be supported with confidence.”
UBA described the partnership as a practical example of enterprise finance enabling asset ownership through responsible, trackable performance.
Babatunde Ajayi, Head of Business Banking, UBA, said,
“UBA is proud to partner with Lagride on Drive To Own because it is a structured model with clear accountability. The $100m facility backing this programme reflects our confidence in a framework that combines performance data, governance, and a pathway to asset ownership. This programme reflects what banking should be in the modern African economy: practical, inclusive, responsible, and forward-looking. It shows that when institutions trust people, and people honour that trust, progress becomes inevitable. This is how finance should work, enabling real enterprise, supporting livelihoods, and scaling opportunity responsibly.”
One of the beneficiaries, Aminu Ganna, a Lagride Captain described the moment as a turning point for captains committed to building stable futures through the platform.
“This is bigger than receiving a car. It is proof that the work we do every day can lead to ownership,” Aminu Ganna said. “Drive To Own gives captains hope and a clear path forward. For those of us who take the standards seriously, this is the opportunity we have been waiting for.”
The Drive To Own deployment event brought together Lagride captains, UBA representatives, and members of the media, and featured programme remarks, the official deployment moment, and a media briefing outlining the standards and expectations that underpin Drive To Own.
Lagride reiterated that Drive To Own will remain strictly performance-led, with continued eligibility dependent on professionalism, safety, compliance, vehicle care, and reliability.
