Nigerian Uber Driver @MaxOfLagos recounts his experience as Lagos driver.
I was an Uber driver for a few months in Lagos. Gender doesn’t matter; almost everyone is rude.
I did notice a pattern: the worst of them tended to be the ones who definitely could not afford a car. The reason is unclear because you’d think they’d appreciate the value more.
I was an Uber driver for a few months in Lagos. Gender doesn’t matter; almost everyone is rude.
Also, almost everyone is apparently unable to read and understand the meaning of “Your driver is completing a trip nearby.” I’m sure it sounds like a simple concept now when you read it, but it really does escape most people.
It’s always amusing and somewhat embarrassing when someone starts out very rude and, by the end of the trip, asks if they can save your phone number to discuss “business” or some other such thing.
There were some good ones. For example, I met the person who helped me land the voiceover for that Johnnie Walker ad when I picked him up for an Uber ride.
There was, of course, that one chick who made the mandatory joke about getting a different kind of “ride” in addition to the Uber ride. She didn’t get what she was looking for.
There was a lady who was going to visit or fight her in-laws somewhere on the Ogun State border, a very lucrative and entertaining trip. She brought snacks; the fight ended in a victory for us, and everyone was home before sundown. 10/10.
Generally, people are surprised to find that their Uber car is an SUV and then further surprised when they hear me speak. Interestingly, they almost always assumed the reason I was driving was that I was down on my luck. One person tried to buy the car, which was quite strange.
I once picked up a group of university kids from Ibadan who were here for a beach party. What I found interesting about them is how incredibly respectful they were. Confirmation that only Lagos people don’t have sense
Driving in the Chevron/Agungi area really exposed me to the internet fraud community, and I found it interesting how established they are and the remarkably ordinary nature of their lives. We often imagine them to be like those guys the FBI arrests. This is not always the case.
That last tweet isn’t an endorsement of fraud. I’m just pointing out that they don’t all live flashy lives, based on my observations. It is still a crime.
The foreigners I picked up were also interesting. There was a Syrian guy who barely spoke a lick of English and believed he could make it as a mechanic in Nigeria. I followed up; he now runs a restaurant owned by another Syrian.
