My Experience as the Largest Fleet Owner in Lagos on Bolt – Olaniran Oni

Bolt’s dedication to expanding and improving mobility in Sub-Saharan Africa and strengthening the economy with earning opportunities is exemplified by its innovative initiatives which recognize the need for collaboration and partnership within the gig-mobility sector. An example of such initiative is the fleet operation which allows individuals with more than three cars to support drivers on the platform.

In this conversation with Mr. Olaniran Oni, the largest fleet owner in Lagos on the Bolt platform, he shares details about his experience running a fleet business.

Q1: You are the largest fleet owner in Lagos on the Bolt platform. Kindly introduce yourself.

My name is Olaniran Oni and I am the owner of Beautiful Confections, a ride-hailing fleet company currently operating on Bolt. I began the fleet business in 2017.

My company began with about two cars and grew very organically, and by that I mean, we didn’t partner with anybody. This was possible through various financing schemes which thankfully we were able to pay off in time. The income gained was then used to buy new cars.

We were disciplined enough to understand that our inflows had to be greater than the outflows. Currently, we have about 27 to 30 cars in our fleet. By and large, we have gotten to where we are today by the grace of God and by observing the rules.

Q2: You joined the fleet business when ride hailing was nascent in Nigeria. What inspired you to join the fleet business?

Well, in life, once your initial professional journey isn’t going so well, you use what you have to get what you want, which is exactly what I did.

I was introduced to the business through one of my friends and later discovered that I had the passion and desire needed to survive in the business and provide the needed service. Many people forget that when you are doing business and you provide exceptional service, money will follow naturally. People will pay you for the service you have to render but if your sole aim is money-making with no drive to back it up, you are likely to fail.

Q3: What is your current arrangement with the drivers in your fleet?

Our arrangement is very simple and straightforward, we try to make the drivers realize one thing – they are not my employees, and I am not their employer. We are in a tripartite relationship with three distinct functions -- I provide the capital in terms of the car, the driver provides the manpower, and finally, Bolt provides the platform. We are all working together to achieve a common goal.

So, while I am looking for a profit through rendering this service, the drivers are looking for daily living without the necessary capital, so they have to partner with me and Bolt. In short, we all bring something to the table and drivers pay a fixed amount each week to secure the capital (car) from us.

Q4: What challenges or difficulties do you face in the fleet business?

Of course, we face certain challenges whilst operating the fleet business. Some drivers refuse to pay. They run cash-based trips other than card-based, so we have difficulties getting the cash from them sometimes. However, there are faithful drivers we have worked with for many years who comply with the system and make the process easier for us.

Also, there are negligent drivers who don’t use the cars properly or don’t stick to the arrangement which makes it challenging sometimes. We have had drivers who after two weeks, the car becomes damaged and leads to incurred costs on our end. Other challenges would include the typical infrastructural challenges in Nigeria.

Q5: What is your advice for aspiring fleet owners?

The fleet business is a very challenging and requires very hands-on management due to the various parties and logistics involved. You also have to be vigilant against people who want to dupe you, including drivers, mechanics, and insurance agents. For my company, we have had to add trackers on our vehicles to enable us to effectively monitor day-to-day but these, in turn, have caused people to become very aggrieved towards us. Nevertheless, these are things you must do so that your business is not run to the ground.

All in all, running a fleet on Bolt is a very good business, that I can say. Beginning the journey is simple technically as Bolt only requires a minimum of three cars to register, but actually running the business is a different ball game entirely and it requires courage, vigilance, and agility.

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