inDrive, a global mobility and delivery services platform, and stakeholders in Nigeria’s transportation sector have called for stronger collaboration to improve road safety, strengthen accountability and protect drivers and passengers across the country.
The stakeholders made the call at the third edition of the inDrive Safety Summit, themed “Transparency,” held in Abuja.
Presenting a welcome remark, the Country Manager of inDrive Nigeria, Timothy Oladimeji, said the ride-hailing platform was established to provide affordable and safe transportation services to passengers.
Oladimeji explained that the summit was organised to educate and engage key stakeholders on safety and mobility, with the objective of developing practical solutions and achieving measurable results.
He noted that safe mobility required the active participation of drivers, passengers, government agencies and other stakeholders across the transportation ecosystem, adding that drivers had a critical responsibility to ensure trips were conducted safely.
According to him, inDrive had established collaborations with government agencies to improve driver verification processes, strengthen response times through engagement with the Nigeria Police Force and enhance driver onboarding in partnership with the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC.
Speaking during his presentation, the Driver Marketing Lead for Africa, the Middle East and Europe at inDrive, Adimaldo Silva, highlighted several safety features already available on the platform to protect both drivers and passengers.
Silva listed the features to include liveness checks, order-feed moderation, dangerous-area alerts and in-app chat moderation, among others.
He explained that dangerous-area alerts were designed to identify locations associated with higher safety risks, enabling drivers to remain more vigilant when operating in such areas.
The features, he said, formed part of the platform’s efforts to strengthen safety and promote more responsible interactions between drivers and passengers.
Also speaking, the Director in the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mrs Jane Ojinta, who represented the Permanent Secretary, said road connectivity and safety remained shared responsibilities requiring the active participation of government institutions, private-sector operators, drivers, passengers and other stakeholders.
Ojinta urged inDrive and other mobility service providers to sustain investments in driver verification, vehicle safety, passenger protection, emergency response systems and public awareness campaigns.
She reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for innovation and investment in the transportation sector, while supporting initiatives that promote safer, more efficient, accessible and sustainable mobility solutions for Nigerians.
“I urge all stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, embrace appropriate technology, and uphold the highest standards of safety and service delivery. Together, we can build a transportation system that inspires public confidence, supports economic growth, and safeguards the well-being of all road users,” she said.
Similarly, the Assistant Corps Commander and Unit Commander of the FRSC Life Camp Unit, Laraba J. Shanwa, said the agency placed significant emphasis on collaboration, particularly in road safety management.
Shanwa urged mobility service operators to partner with relevant agencies on driver training and retraining, as well as organised public awareness campaigns to address identified safety concerns.
She also called for data-informed interventions to reduce road traffic crashes and improved safety standards for fleet operations, stressing the importance of sustained cooperation in addressing road safety challenges.
Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the Director of the Federal Capital Territory Directorate of Road Traffic Services, DRTS, Festus Achu commended inDrive for organising the summit to promote safety, security and accountability in the e-hailing industry.
Achu highlighted the need for stronger collaboration among government agencies, technology platforms, drivers, security agencies and the public to improve road safety and security.
He added that the DRTS was open to working with inDrive to ensure its drivers fulfilled all applicable regulatory obligations, including driver training, profiling, vehicle certification and the maintenance of valid vehicle documents.
The summit also featured panel sessions involving key stakeholders across Nigeria’s transportation ecosystem.
Meanwhile, inDrive is a global mobility and urban services platform operating in 1,065 cities across 47 countries. The company said its application had been downloaded more than 400 million times and was the second-most-downloaded mobility app for the fourth consecutive year.
Beyond ride-hailing, the platform offers an expanding range of urban services, including intercity transportation, delivery and financial services. Driven by its mission to challenge injustice, inDrive is committed to positively impacting the lives of one billion people by 2030.
