--- title: "Uber quit Nigeria and Uganda; its $100 million bet Moove now runs Waymo's robotaxi fleets" description: "Uber switched off Nigeria and Uganda on September 2 and has now lost four African markets to cheaper rivals. The money question is what it funded on the way out: a $100 million check into Moove, which now runs Waymo's robotaxi fleets while Uber backs Wayve in London." publisher: "The Inference" section: "Platforms" published: 2026-10-11T15:30:50.344Z modified: 2026-10-11T15:30:50.344Z canonical: https://theinference.org/article/uber-quit-nigeria-and-uganda-its-100-million-bet-moove-now-runs-waymo-s-robotaxi-fleets language: en keywords: "Uber, Moove, Waymo, Robotaxis, Africa, Bolt" --- # Uber quit Nigeria and Uganda; its $100 million bet Moove now runs Waymo's robotaxi fleets > Uber switched off Nigeria and Uganda on September 2 and has now lost four African markets to cheaper rivals. The money question is what it funded on the way out: a $100 million check into Moove, which now runs Waymo's robotaxi fleets while Uber backs Wayve in London. ## The exit arrived by Instagram post Kayode Emmanuel had driven for [Uber](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/uber) for six years when the requests stopped coming outside the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja. He toggled airplane mode off and on. Then his wife called: an Instagram post said Uber had shut down in Nigeria, effective immediately. "No notice, nothing," he said. On [Bolt](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/bolt) and inDrive since, his weekly income has fallen by a third [1]. ## Four markets in a year, lost on fare Uber [switched off Nigeria and Uganda on September 2](https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/uber-retreats-in-africa-as-cost-comes-before-comfort-and-safety-20009341.htm), after Tanzania and Ivory Coast in the previous twelve months [1][2]. The drivers' union counted at least 50,000 Nigerians earning on the app [1]. The war was settled on price: Uber's cheapest Johannesburg trip cost 50 rand against Bolt's 39; in Nairobi, 273 shillings against 220 [1]. Bolt now covers eight African countries to Uber's six, with more than a million drivers and couriers [2], and the exits came inside a broader restructuring that cut about a tenth of Uber's workforce [8]. *Chart: **Uber's cheapest trips ran 14 to 24 percent above Bolt in Africa's price war** Column chart comparing Uber's cheapest trip price with Bolt's in Johannesburg and Nairobi, with Uber's bars higher in both cities* *Cheapest available trip price on each app, local currency: rand in Johannesburg, shillings in Nairobi. Sources: CNBC TV18; CoinCentral. [1][2]* ## The $100 million that left with Uber Uber's own capital walked out with the drivers. Moove, the Lagos startup built on financing cars for Uber drivers, [took a $100 million Series B from Uber in March 2024](https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/nigeria-loses-another-mobility-giant-as-moove-exits-weeks-after-uber-despite-its/scfq89q) [3]. On October 8 it said it is leaving Nigeria too: eligible drivers keep vehicles worth $23.3 million with no further payment, while Moove exits more than 9,000 customers and a platform book that generated about $38 million of revenue [3][4]. Neither company named a Nigeria-specific reason [3]. *Chart: **Uber's $100M sits mid-trail in the money that carried Moove from Lagos to Waymo** Bar chart of Moove's six reported funding rounds from its 2020 seed to its 2026 Series C, with Uber's $100M Series B highlighted against quieter bars* *Named rounds as reported, millions of US dollars, company-claimed via independent coverage; the 2026 Series C valued Moove at $2.1 billion. Sources: Business Insider Africa; Nairametrics; TechCrunch. [3][4][5]* ## A day later, robotaxis in London The day after Nigeria went dark, Uber put Wayve's [15 supervised robotaxis on its London app, the first in Britain](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/03/london-first-self-driving-taxis-for-hire-wayve-uber) [6]. Uber is a return investor in Wayve's $1.2 billion round, with up to $300 million more contingent on deploying robotaxis in London [7]. Waymo is testing about 100 vehicles in the same city [7], and Moove [runs Waymo's fleets in Phoenix, Miami and Las Vegas](https://theinference.org/article/waymo-is-buying-national-scale-with-tariffed-chinese-vans-two-states-at-a-time), with London next [5]. Uber's stake now sits inside its chief autonomy rival's operating stack. ## Committed to Africa, and being probed out of it Uber says the region still works: more than a billion trips, over $300 million pledged to South Africa, and a ride-hailing market forecast to grow about 30 percent to $3.25 billion by 2031 [1]. Nigeria's competition regulator, the FCCPC, [opened a probe on September 6](https://www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/nigeria-antitrust-regulator-probes-ubers-abrupt-exit/) into the manner of the exit, citing unfulfilled services to customers [8]; whether any sanction can reach a business no longer operating locally is unclear [1]. ## What to watch Whether the FCCPC probe produces anything beyond statements, and whether Moove's London fleet contract lands while Uber's Wayve cars carry its riders. Uber did not leave mobility. It left the drivers. ## Takeaway Uber's African retreat left its $100 million stake in Moove, which now runs Waymo's robotaxi fleets, funding the autonomy stack its London Wayve bet competes against. ## Sources 1. [CNBC TV18, "Uber retreats in Africa as cost comes before comfort and safety", 11 October 2026](https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/uber-retreats-in-africa-as-cost-comes-before-comfort-and-safety-20009341.htm) 2. [CoinCentral, "Uber Stock: Company Exits Four African Markets as Rivals Undercut Fares", 11 October 2026](https://coincentral.com/uber-stock-company-exits-four-african-markets-as-rivals-undercut-fares/) 3. [Business Insider Africa, "Nigeria loses another mobility giant as Moove exits weeks after Uber", 10 October 2026](https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/nigeria-loses-another-mobility-giant-as-moove-exits-weeks-after-uber-despite-its/scfq89q) 4. [Nairametrics, "Moove exits Nigeria, gives customers N35 billion worth of cars", 8 October 2026](https://nairametrics.com/2026/10/08/moove-exits-nigeria-gives-customers-n35-billion-worth-of-cars/) 5. [TechCrunch, "Moove raises $250M to become the backbone of the robotaxi industry", 5 August 2026](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/05/moove-raises-250m-to-become-the-backbone-of-the-robotaxi-industry/) 6. [The Guardian, "London's first self-driving taxis for hire hit the streets", 3 September 2026](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/03/london-first-self-driving-taxis-for-hire-wayve-uber) 7. [TechCrunch, "Uber, Wayve, and Waymo are headed toward a robotaxi showdown in London", 8 June 2026](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/08/uber-wayve-and-waymo-are-headed-towards-a-robotaxi-showdown-in-london/) 8. [PYMNTS CPI, "Nigeria Antitrust Regulator Probes Uber's Abrupt Exit", 6 September 2026](https://www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/nigeria-antitrust-regulator-probes-ubers-abrupt-exit/) --- Uber quit Nigeria and Uganda; its $100 million bet Moove now runs Waymo's robotaxi fleets — The Inference. Canonical: https://theinference.org/article/uber-quit-nigeria-and-uganda-its-100-million-bet-moove-now-runs-waymo-s-robotaxi-fleets