On a humid Thursday morning in Benin City, a quiet but decisive shift was already underway among e-hailing drivers. After months of shrinking earnings and rising costs, drivers across Edo State finally reached a breaking point. Their decision? A 50% increase in fares, effective Saturday, November 15, a bold move mirroring similar fare adjustments recently adopted in Port Harcourt and other cities.

The announcement was confirmed to by Comrade Russell Eghaghe, Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON). And beneath the numbers, the union says, lies a simple story: survival.

“It’s Not Greed—It’s Survival,” Drivers Say

Speaking passionately, Eghaghe explained that the fare hike is a necessary step to restore dignity and balance to the work of e-hailing drivers.

“The 50% price increase on all e-hailing rides will officially commence on the 15th of November. This adjustment is aimed at improving our earnings and ensuring better value for our time and service,”
— Comrade Russell Eghaghe, AUATON Chairman, Edo State

But the question on many riders’ minds is: Is it fair? Eghaghe believes the real unfairness lies elsewhere.

He painted a picture of Nigeria’s daily economic reality, a place where prices rise almost every dawn. Fuel, food, rent, spare parts, everything is adjusting upward. Even the government reviews VAT and import duties without hesitation. Traders update prices constantly. Landlords raise rent unapologetically.

And quietly, behind the scenes, even ride-hailing companies themselves adjust their commissions. Yet, he argued, drivers are the only ones criticized when they attempt to do the same.

“When e-hailing drivers increase fares just to stay afloat, suddenly it becomes greed. Are drivers not part of the same society suffering these changes? We have families to feed and cars to maintain. This double standard must stop.”

A Tough Economy Meets a Tougher Job

Edo drivers say the current app pricing model leaves them battling:

• Rising fuel costs
• Higher vehicle maintenance expenses
• Inflation
• Increased platform deductions

For many, the math simply doesn’t add up anymore.

The chairman emphasized that the fare increase is not exploitation but a bid to remain functional and safe on the road.

“This adjustment is not against riders. It is for the sustainability of the service they depend on. When drivers are treated fairly, everyone benefits.”

Not the First Time—and Not the Only State

Benin’s fare hike is part of a growing wave of driver-led price adjustments across Nigeria.

• Abuja (2024): Drivers set new rates at ₦450 per kilometre.
• Abeokuta (2025): Drivers raised fares by up to 200%, citing extreme operational losses.
• Rivers State (2025): Drivers declared a 50% fare increase, calling it a “reasonable step toward sustainability.”

In Abeokuta, one driver shared how bleak things had become:

“I barely make ₦20,000 on an average day. I spent ₦80,000 this month alone on shock absorbers.”

Platform Pushback: Bolt Warns Drivers

Following similar price increases in Port Harcourt, Bolt threatened to permanently deactivate any driver charging higher fares outside the app’s regulated pricing.But the union’s national leadership pushed back strongly.

According to Comrade Jossy Adaraniwon, national spokesperson of AUATON: Bolt does not have the mandate or authority to pre-fix trip fares for app-based workers. Their continuous fixing of prices is oppressive and unacceptable. We are the transporters. We know the right fares to ensure service quality without overburdening riders.”

He stressed that platforms should negotiate commissions, not dictate prices.

A Growing Battle Over Who Sets the Fare

The heart of this ongoing dispute is control: Who gets to decide what a trip is worth in an economy where costs rise constantly?

Drivers across Nigeria are asserting, loudly, that they do. For Benin City, the new fare regime takes effect on November 15. And unless ride-hailing platforms address drivers’ concerns, this trend of independent price adjustment may spread to even more states.

As the economy continues to stretch everyone thin, the drivers’ message remains clear: “Survival is not a sin.”