Lagos has more ride apps than most African cities, and since Uber left in September 2026 the choice for a rider has mostly come down to three: Bolt, inDrive, and — new this month — Intra Cab, with the state-backed LagRide alongside them on the Island. If you're standing at Allen Avenue in the rain trying to decide which to open, the differences aren't obvious from the icons.
Here's an honest rundown of how each one actually works for the rider, who each suits, and why you should probably have more than one installed.
The apps you'll find
Bolt
The biggest car app in Lagos now that Uber is gone, and the most familiar if you were an Uber rider. You enter your destination and Bolt shows a fixed fare before you book; you accept it or you don't. Pay by card, in-app balance or cash. A few vehicle tiers, from the basic cars up to larger ones. Trip sharing, an emergency button, driver ratings and in-app chat all work as you'd expect. The catch everyone knows: the fare multiplies when demand climbs — rain, the bridge at six, Friday on Lekki–Epe — and it can be a very different number at 6pm than at 2pm for the same trip.
Best for: riders who want a fixed number on the screen immediately and want to pay by card.
inDrive
A different model, and one that Lagos has taken to. You name the price you want to pay for the trip; nearby drivers see it and either accept or send a counter-offer; you pick one and agree the number before the car moves. Payment is mostly cash in Nigeria. There's no surge multiplier because there's no algorithmic fare — but when it rains, the drivers decline your low offer and you learn quickly what the going rate is. inDrive charges drivers a service fee on each trip, which is their business rather than yours, but it does sit inside the price you agree.
Best for: riders who are comfortable haggling in-app and would rather name a price than accept one.
LagRide
The Lagos State-backed scheme. Fixed fares, a fleet of newer cars that drivers are buying through hire-purchase, Lagos only. Fewer cars than Bolt or inDrive, concentrated on the Island and in Ikeja, but a sensible thing to have on your phone if that's where you move.
Best for: Island and Ikeja riders who want a fixed fare and a newer car.
Intra Cab
Opened in Nigeria in October 2026. Intra inverts the model one step further than inDrive: instead of you proposing a price, you post the trip — pickup, destination, how many passengers, car or motorcycle or bus — and every driver nearby who wants it sends you their own price in naira. You see the offers side by side, each with the driver's name, photo, car and rating and how far away they are, and pick one. There is no surge, because no algorithm sets anything. There is no commission — Intra takes nothing from the driver, so the fare you pay is the fare they keep, in cash at the end of the trip.
Sign-in is a one-time code to your phone, no password. It's also the only app here with a passenger motorcycle option switched on, which matters only where okada is legal — the outer Lagos LGAs, not Ikeja, the Island, Surulere or the other seven banned areas, and not any expressway or bridge.
Best for: riders who'd rather compare several real offers than accept one number, who want their fare going to the driver rather than a platform, or who are in an area the bigger apps serve thinly.
How they compare
| Bolt | inDrive | LagRide | Intra Cab | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who sets the price | The app, upfront | You propose, drivers counter | The app, upfront | Drivers quote, you choose |
| Surge | Yes | No multiplier; offers rise when busy | Fixed fares | None |
| Payment | Card, balance, cash | Mostly cash | In-app and cash | Cash, direct to driver |
| Vehicle options | Several car tiers | Car; bikes for parcels only | Car | Car, motorcycle, bus |
| Commission from drivers | Percentage per trip | Service fee per trip | Hire-purchase payments | None |
| Coverage in Lagos | Dense | Dense | Island and Ikeja | Growing from zero, October 2026 |
The thing nobody tells you: install more than one
On any given evening the deciding factor isn't which app is best in the abstract. It's which one has a driver on your street right now. Supply moves between apps — thousands of former Uber drivers are still settling into Bolt and inDrive, and new ones are joining Intra every week — and the price for the same trip can differ by a lot between a fixed-fare app at surge and a bidding app where a driver two minutes away just wants the work.
They're all free. Install two or three, post the trip on more than one when it's busy, and take whichever gets you a car at a price you like.
What to actually check before you ride
- Match the car and the driver's face to what the app shows before you get in. Every app above shows you both before the driver arrives.
- Know how you're paying. Bolt takes cards and LagRide has in-app payment; inDrive and Intra are cash. Carry notes small enough that the driver can make change.
- Agree the price is what you expect before the trip starts — whether that's an upfront fare, a price you negotiated, or an offer you accepted.
- Share your trip with someone if you're riding at night.
- Bikes only where they're legal. A motorcycle request in Ikeja, on the Island or in Surulere can't lawfully be answered, on any app.
Where Intra Cab stands, honestly
Intra has only just opened in Lagos and is signing up its first drivers now. Bolt and inDrive have years of head start and far more drivers; for a while, many Intra requests — especially outside Ikeja, the Island and the mainland centre — will get few offers or none. So this isn't a "delete Bolt" post. It's: keep what you use, add Intra alongside it, and when a driver does answer you'll see exactly what they want for the trip, with no multiplier and no cut.
Download Intra Cab — free on Android and iPhone.
More for riders in Lagos: Taxi in Lagos — how Intra Cab works in the city · Uber has left Nigeria: what riders can use now · Getting around Lagos: danfo, BRT, keke, okada and the apps · Drivers: Bolt, inDrive, LagRide or Intra — what each leaves in your hand
Based on each app's public listings and how each service describes itself as of October 2026. Features, coverage and payment options change often; check the current apps. The Lagos okada restrictions are as published by Lagos State and reported in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email sales@intra.cab and we'll fix it.