Uber has abruptly shut down its ride-hailing service in Nigeria and Uganda, with some users and drivers reportedly left mid-journey when the app cut out, prompting online jokes about an "Uber rapture." The company gave notice on 2 September that the service would end that same day, offering little warning to customers, drivers or staff who relied on the platform, and leaving rivals such as Bolt, SafeBoda, Faras and inDrive to absorb displaced demand.

Uber launched in Nigeria in 2014 and Uganda in 2016, once running a boat service in Lagos to dodge traffic, but said the exit is limited to these two markets and does not affect the rest of Africa, where it insists it remains "deeply committed." The withdrawal follows Uber's earlier departures from Ivory Coast and Tanzania, leaving it operating in just Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa on the continent, and comes as the company undertakes a broader global restructuring cutting over 3,000 jobs. In Nigeria, drivers had long complained of rising fuel costs, high commissions and mounting competition, while Uber has not confirmed whether these pressures drove its decision; it also did not respond to The Register's questions about the abruptness of the shutdown.