Uber is gone from Nigeria — now Shuttlers wants to pick commuters up at home again

Uber has shut down its business in Nigeria after 12 years in the market. Two days later, Nigerian mobility company Shuttlers announced a new product called Shuttlers Pod, launching on 25 September.

Shuttlers normally runs more than 430 buses daily across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt on a fixed bus-stop model. But Pod goes back to an older approach: one car picking up to four commuters from their homes, dropping each at their own destination. Riders can share the car with neighbours, or pay for exclusive use.

Riders must book a day in advance, and must pay for at least two trips a week. Fares vary depending on how many people share the ride. Shuttlers is rolling the service out cluster by cluster across Lagos.

This isn't new territory for Shuttlers. Back in 2015, the company tried something similar with two buses given by an angel investor, before dropping it because it wasn't profitable. Laolu Onifade, former head of another mobility startup, questions whether a four-seat car with fixed payments to fleet partners can actually make economic sense — especially now, with inflation and lower consumer purchasing power.

The service isn't available in Tanzania, and it won't be free even when it is. What matters most for our readers is the lesson inside the story: even established companies can try one model, fail at it, and bring it back years later — with no guarantee it will work this time.