Ride-Hailing Apps & Drivers Count Cost Of Bizarre SA Versus Nigeria Feud

The recent online spat between South Africa and Nigeria, fueled by a controversial beauty pageant and long-running hostilities, has left e-hailing apps and their drivers counting significant losses. What began as a social media prank quickly escalated into a cross-border debacle, impacting drivers, passengers, and the ride-hailing companies themselves.

The roots of this peculiar episode can be traced to the withdrawal of Chidimma Adetshina, a model with Nigerian and Mozambican heritage, from the Miss South Africa beauty pageant. Adetshina’s exit followed a wave of xenophobic abuse directed at her due to her Nigerian parentage.

While Adetshina accepted an invitation to participate in a similar contest in Nigeria, the incident inflamed long-standing tensions between South Africans and Nigerians, who often perceive each other as economic competitors.

Things Go South

The situation took a strange turn on August 21, when Uber and Bolt users in South Africa began booking fake rides in Nigeria. The intention was simple: prank drivers in the other country by sending them on wild goose chases. Once a booking was confirmed, the pranksters would send misleading location details before eventually cancelling the ride.

Screenshots of these pranks soon surfaced on social media, encouraging more users to join the fray. By the following day, Nigerians had started retaliating with their own fake bookings in South Africa. What had begun as a few isolated incidents quickly spiralled into a high-volume, cross-border trolling campaign that wreaked havoc on ride-hailing services in both countries.

Social media screenshots also showed Nigerians going a step further in their retaliation by placing fake payment-on-delivery orders at e-commerce platforms and Nandos, a popular South African fast-food chain, extending the feud beyond ride-hailing apps.

Diplomatic and socioeconomic relations between South Africa and Nigeria, two of Africa’s economic powerhouses, have soured for much of the post-apartheid era, burying a history of the latter notably supporting the former in the fight against Black repression far into the rearview mirror.

Waves of xenophobic attacks in 2008, 2015, and 2019 targeted at African immigrants in South Africa, including Nigerians, have been met with strong pushbacks and reprisals especially in Nigeria, deepening the feud between the nations. Additionally, in 2012, South Africa denied entry to 125 Nigerians over invalid yellow fever certificates, sparking a diplomatic standoff. In response, Nigeria deported 56 South African businessmen.

Attempts to mend fences, which have included State visits by successive Presidents over the last decade, have come up short.

The Impact on Drivers

For the e-hailing drivers, this prank war was no laughing matter. In cities like Lagos, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, the surge in fake bookings led to surge pricing, making it difficult for real customers to find rides and stranding many who couldn’t afford the inflated fares.

“I stopped using the app after getting at least 10 fake bookings,” said Mathew Ineh, a Lagos-based Bolt driver who spoke to Rest of World.” Ineh eventually confronted two of these pranksters through the app’s chat feature. One of them reportedly said, “It’s Nigeria versus South Africa.” Another simply apologised.

The situation was similar in South Africa, where drivers found themselves wasting time, fuel, and money on ghost passengers. Munyaradzi Chinyama, a Zimbabwean Bolt driver based in Cape Town, recalled receiving three fake ride requests before realising they were part of the prank. “I wasted a lot of fuel, time, and money,” Chinyama told the BBC.

The economic impact on drivers cannot be overstated. In Nigeria, where fuel prices have skyrocketed in recent months, the cost of driving to non-existent customers was especially painful. “Imagine driving kilometres, burning petrol which is already scarce and expensive in Nigeria, to meet customers that don’t exist,” said Ayoade Ibrahim, secretary-general of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria.

Financial Impact on Ride-Hailing Companies

Bolt, one of the primary platforms affected by this prank, has acknowledged the significant financial losses incurred as a result of the conflict, reports local daily PUNCH. Yahaya Mohammed, Bolt’s Country Manager for Nigeria, lamented the disruption of services and the toll it took on both drivers and the company itself.

“The prank led to huge financial losses and disruption of service in both countries,” Mohammed said. “We had to block a high volume of orders coming from specific areas in Nigeria and South Africa and eventually restricted inter-country ride requests.” PUNCH also reports that the Communication Manager of Bolt, Femi Adeyemo, admitted that the company suffered financial losses.

The prank not only affected Bolt’s operations but also led to the blocking of an undisclosed number of users. These measures, while necessary to stem the tide of fake bookings, further contributed to the company’s losses. Adeyemo, Bolt’s Communication Manager, emphasised the seriousness of the situation. “Any disruptions are taken seriously, and we work diligently to minimize their impact on both our drivers and passengers,” Adeyemo said.

The Response from Ride-Hailing Companies

Both Bolt and Uber quickly moved to address the situation. Bolt, which was hit particularly hard by the prank war, restricted inter-country ride requests between South Africa and Nigeria after identifying and blocking users involved in the hoax. “Following a thorough investigation and the implementation of enhanced security measures, we have addressed this issue swiftly,” said Mohammed, Bolt’s Nigeria country manager.

Uber, while not restricting inter-country rides, also took action. “These hoax bookings violate Uber’s community guidelines,” said Tope Akinwumi, Uber’s Nigeria country manager. “As we conduct the investigation, our operations in South Africa and Nigeria remain unaffected.” Both companies encouraged drivers to report any further incidents through their in-app support channels.

Potential Compensation and Future Measures

In response to the chaos, Bolt has initiated an internal investigation to assess the full extent of the financial damage. According to Mohammed, the company is considering compensating drivers who suffered losses due to the prank. “An investigation will be done internally… to see whether there is room for compensation, but at the moment, it is something that is currently being discussed,” he said.

In the meantime, Bolt has implemented stricter security measures, including tracing IP addresses from both countries and restricting inter-country ride requests. These steps are aimed at preventing a repeat of the incident, though they may also limit the flexibility of the platform for genuine users.

The “Bolt war,” as it has been dubbed on social media, has not only strained relations between South Africa and Nigeria further but has also highlighted the vulnerability of gig economy workers to external conflicts. Drivers, already operating in challenging economic conditions, were the unintended victims of a feud that had nothing to do with them.

The prank also exposed the delicate balance that ride-hailing companies must maintain in managing cross-border services. Surge pricing, intended to manage supply and demand, instead left many real customers without affordable transport options, exacerbating the situation.

As the dust settles on this unusual chapter, e-hailing drivers in South Africa and Nigeria are left counting the cost of a conflict that had little to do with them.