Uber has begun raising concerns about an agreement struck between ride-hailing platforms and Nigeria’s Lagos State Government (LASG), which calls for the ride-haling platforms to share user data with the LASG.
According to a source familiar with the matter, while rival platform, Bolt, has agreed to the LASG’s terms, Uber has been reluctant to comply with the agreement. The agreement, which was part of ride-hailing regulations introduced in 2020, mandated ride-hailing companies to grant backend access to user trips and location data for planning, revenue, and security purposes.
Recently, the LASG escalated the situation by demanding real-time trip details from ride-hailing companies, while threatening to sanctions for non-compliance.
Techcabal has reported that a source has expressed concerns over the government’s request, revealing that Uber already shares data with the government on a daily basis. The government has maintained that its demand focuses on identifying both drivers and riders, to enhance user safety in emergency situations. However, the source argued that granting real-time access to such data could potentially expose users to surveillance and increase the risk of legal liabilities for the company.
While Uber hesitates to comply with the Lagos state government’s demand for real-time data sharing, Bolt, along with another unidentified ride-hailing company, have already begun obeying the new regulation.
