Mum: Bella, we are going to Lagos (Island) Get a taxi.
Me: Hails black and yellow ‘taizi’
AFTER 500 HOURS OF SHOPPING
Taxi driver: Se o ti ya? (Are we set?)
Mum: Beeni (Yes)
AFTER 5 SECONDS
Mum: E joor sah, e ba mi slow down niwaju, ki’n ra nkan (Please slow down, i’d like to buy something)
Taxi driver: Ah mummy, but e ba mi so’yen tele now (We did not discuss that before) Engages in indistinct vent amidst frowns
Mum: UNLOOKING
Me: praying mantis position |to self| I didn’t bargain for this. We will now start telling the man, please slow down here, and slow down there.
If Lyft were in Nigeria, that would not have been such a big deal because the taxi hailing app, similar to Uber in a number of ways has just rolled out an update which allows riders add one or two more destinations or stops to their trip before it is activated or even when it isunderway by tapping the “+” icon on the app. They can also remove a destination if they have a change of mind during the ride by tapping on it and selecting the “remove stop” option. This new feature also works great for friends who are carpooling. For now, passengers can only add one additional stop and it is worthy to note that they will (definitely) be charged for time a driver has to wait for them during that stop. The amount to be charged is not confirmed yet but the feature is said to roll out on the apps’ mobile platform very soon.
Uber should probably take a cue from this and perhaps charge way less. That way, everyone is smiling! Rider and driver inclusive.