• Seeks closer coordination on driver verification, emergency response
James Emejo in Abuja
Ride-hailing platform inDrive has deployed digital safeguards, including alerts on potentially dangerous locations, as regulators and mobility industry stakeholders push for a coordinated framework to address safety risks confronting drivers and passengers in the country.
The measures, which also include liveness checks and the moderation of order feeds and in-app chats, underscore the growing use of technology to identify potential threats in ride-hailing operations.
However, stakeholders insist that digital interventions must be backed by stronger driver screening, road safety training, effective regulation and faster emergency response.
The push for a unified approach featured prominently at the 3rd edition of the inDrive Safety Summit in Abuja, where the company, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Federal Capital Territory’s Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) called for closer cooperation to improve safety and accountability across the e-hailing industry.
In a presentation, inDrive’s Driver Marketing Lead for Africa, the Middle East and Europe, Adimaldo Silva, outlined the platform’s digital safety features, including location-based alerts intended to draw drivers’ attention to areas associated with elevated risks
The company also uses liveness checks and moderation of order feeds and in-app chats as part of its safeguards for drivers and riders.
The location alerts are designed to encourage greater vigilance, while the other features form part of the platform’s efforts to strengthen monitoring and manage potential risks during ride-hailing operations.
Country Manager of inDrive Nigeria, Timothy Oladimeji, said collaboration with public institutions was central to strengthening safety measures across the company’s operations.
He said the company had established partnerships with government agencies to improve driver verification, strengthen response times through engagement with the Nigeria Police Force and enhance driver onboarding in collaboration with the FRSC.
Oladimeji stressed that safer mobility required shared responsibility among technology platforms, drivers, passengers, regulators and security agencies, rather than isolated interventions by individual operators.
He said the summit, themed,“Transparency,” was intended to move discussions beyond general commitments towards practical solutions capable of producing measurable safety improvements.
Representing the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Director Jane Ojinta said mobility platforms needed to sustain investments in driver verification, vehicle safety, passenger protection, emergency response systems and public awareness.
She said road safety required the active participation of government, private-sector operators and road users, reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to an enabling environment for innovation and investment in transportation.
Ojinta also urged stakeholders to deploy appropriate technology and maintain safety and service-delivery standards, noting that public confidence in transportation was important to economic growth and the protection of road users.
Similarly, Assistant Corps Commander and Unit Commander of the FRSC Life Camp, Laraba J. Shanwa, called for deeper cooperation between mobility operators and the road safety agency on driver training and retraining, public awareness campaigns and the use of data to guide interventions against road traffic crashes.
She said improved safety standards for fleet operations were necessary to ensure drivers possessed the knowledge and practical skills to manage risks on the road.
Her remarks reinforced the need to complement technology-based safeguards with driver competence, preventive education and evidence-led road safety interventions.
In a goodwill message delivered on behalf of the Director of the FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Festus Achu commended inDrive for convening the summit and promoting safety, security and accountability in the e-hailing sector.
Achu said closer cooperation among regulators, technology platforms, drivers, security agencies and the public was necessary to improve safety outcomes.
He said the DRTS was willing to collaborate with inDrive to ensure its drivers complied with applicable regulatory requirements, including driver training, profiling, vehicle certification and the maintenance of valid vehicle documents.
Amid an expanding mobility ecosystem, the challenge is not only to introduce more safety features but also to ensure that verification procedures, incident reporting, emergency response and regulatory enforcement work together to protect road users.
The summit featured panel discussions involving stakeholders from across Nigeria’s transportation ecosystem.
inDrive is a global mobility and urban services platform offering ride-hailing, intercity transportation, delivery and financial services.