Nigerian Uber drivers can be hell!

I know I wrote a review last year about my first Uber experience in Lagos and it was all so beautiful, You can find it Here if you missed that post. At that time, I thought Uber was the most ingenious thing to have been exported to Nigeria, I mean who wouldn't love to be driven for less on Naija bad roads in a comfortable air-conditioned car.Fast forward to eight solid months later, my story has completely changed.
I know Instagram has gone agog with different tales of Uber drivers lately, but trust me, we all move on after reading those post without considering the dangers and messages those post are passing across to us . I know I have read about an Uber driver running away with the owner's car, I have read about Uber driver been killed only for the passengers to sell the car to someone out of town. But nope my story is not that horrifying but it is equally pathetic.

Last night I was in Ikoyi and needed an Uber to take me home, mind you this was around 5pm in the evening, As always I called my ever ready and most efficient Uber App user,(my younger sister) to book an Uber ride for me,10 minutes later, she called to say there was a surge, and so I should wait a little while. A few minutes later, I called her and she sends a number to me -Sunday Uber! I called Sunday as the trip has been booked, and he says he was on his way. After waiting for 10 minutes I called again and Sunday says sorry madam, the last client I carried said I should wait for her at the hospital I dropped her. My God really? meaning you were never on your way and I have been waiting for you all the while, Okay Mr Sunday could you just cancel the trip cos I am not ready to wait for you endlessly. Sunday Uber said, madam sorry I cant cancel the trip, I said are you kidding me, You were not coerced into accepting to pick another client so, you should be the one to cancel the transaction. For those who do not know much about Uber, If for any reason, the Passenger or driver cancels a trip, Uber automatically charges N1,000 from that person's account. So here I was with the Uber man telling me over the phone that he is sorry he couldn't cancel, knowing fully well he was the cause of the termination of the transaction.


I called my sister to inform her she says drop let me call him, by the time I called the Uber guy back , he said Madam, I have cancelled it, your sister has instructed me to, please I have cancelled it. Yes I said correct, I don't have a yeye sister, she must have put him to order . By now it was almost 5.40pm and I had made up my mind to go get a local taxi, then my sister calls to say Uber has replaced Sunday with a new driver, to me that was good, timely service provided by Uber, little did I know that I was in for a rude shock.


I got the number of the Uber driver, who claimed he was at Park -View, okay Parkview to Queens drive shouldn't take more than 8 mins, 15 mins max if there is traffic, Ol boy! I was wrong, this guy came 35 good minutes later. I was hyper- ventilating by this time, as I was about to enter the car, I realized his back tyre was completely flat, and I asked him, and he says he didn't want to keep me waiting that's why he came with it like that, that he will drive down to a Vulcanizer and get it pumped on our way. I told him, look here, we are not starting this journey till you get your tyre pumped, so lets proceed. I entered the rickety car out of frustration, apparently, I shouldn't have because the tyre was worse than I thought. By the time we got to French Embassy,  I could hear the sound of the rim, and it was very bad. by this time, I had over-boiled and asked to get down, since the car couldn't move any further and  he had to park and go  look for a Vulcanizer.


Lo and behold this guy came out of his car with his zipper down, not the button ooo, just the zipper with all his nonsense almost showing through his boxers, my first instinct was I think God just saved me from a rapist. Secondly I said can you cancel the trip now, and he goes Madam I have cancelled 3 trips today and I have exhausted my cancellation for the day, so tell your sister to cancel from her side. I said you must be kidding me, how do I accept N1,000 loss for your gross incompetence? He left me standing there,then crossed over to the other side of the road, and that was it. My sister informed me later that he vehemently refused to cancel the trip and she was charged for a trip that never took place.
Its sad that I don't know the guys name, I think he should be completely dealt with and penalized by Uber.The truth is Uber has a good profile that they have managed to maintain globally, but unfortunately Nigeria drivers and their attitude is too bad for the business. Will I ever book an Uber ride again, Absolutely Not! I can't have 2 bad experiences in 2 hours and go back to a shitty service like that.


Has any one tried Taxify yet? Is their service any better or a time bomb waiting to explode like Uber?
Please share your experiences so every one can learn a thing or two from it.