This archive report was first published on 18 August 2019.
Published on August 18, 2019, Gokada, Nigeria's foremost motorcycle hailing startup, has shut down its operations and app in a move to revamp its product and retrain its drivers to remain competitive in the hot Lagos motorcycle hailing market.
According to Fahim Saleh, Gokada's CEO, the company will bring new bikes, retrain all its drivers, provide new Bluetooth helmets, and offer free maintenance to their bikes as part of the reboot move.
As part of the reboot, Gokada will also open a drivers' club, expand its health benefits, and ensure its drivers adhere to all traffic laws.
However, the reboot move comes after a disappointing experience for Fahim Saleh, who recently used the Gokada app and was left waiting for 15 minutes for a driver to arrive, only to find out that the driver was going in the wrong direction.
The incident led Saleh to question the company's promise of safety, convenience, and transparency, and he acknowledged that the company had failed in some areas.
The compensation problem is not limited to Gokada, as digital taxi app drivers miles away from Lagos have been championing for improved rates from platform owners.
Uber, Little, and Bolt driver-partners went on strike in July 2018, asking for a review of the pricing of trips upwards to promote their welfare, but the companies promised but failed to effect the MOU a year later.
