Founder Autopilot Nigeria speaks on Bold Path in Car Hire Services Big Vision

Autopilot Nigeria, a fast-rising player in the nation’s mobility and transport sector, is rewriting the rules of car hire operations in Nigeria—beginning its journey not from a physical garage, but from a WhatsApp broadcast list and a strong sense of purpose.

Founded in May 2023, Autopilot Nigeria has grown from humble beginnings to servicing dozens of travelers and clients across Nigeria. The company started in Abuja by leveraging a network of existing chauffeur drivers, while offering services primarily to friends, colleagues, and social contacts built through prior student-led ventures at the University of Ibadan by its founder, Godswill.

“Our first big project came immediately in May for the presidential inauguration, although due to limited experience at the time, it ended up costing us instead of being profitable. However, we kept pushing and got another big project in August the same year, and since then we’ve just been going and expanding one customer and a good service after another,” Godswill recalled.

Despite operating in it’s early days entirely virtually without a physical office, Autopilot Nigeria is driven by a clear mission: to be Nigeria’s most reliable and efficient car hire company—offering high-value chauffeur services at affordable rates without compromising on excellence. The company sees its services as a solution to the challenges of vehicle ownership, unreliable public transportation, and commuting risks, especially for travelers.

The startup offers a variety of services including daily, weekly, and long-term car hires, executive pickups for events and meetings, airport transfers, and fleet management for car owners looking to profit from idle vehicles.

Its client base ranges from daily commuters and corporate clients to vehicle owners seeking alternative income streams. Customer feedback serves as the key metric for tracking performance and refining service delivery.

Operating without major external investment, Autopilot Nigeria is currently bootstrapped and grappling with the challenge of limited access to credit a major barrier to scaling in the capital-intensive transport industry.

Nonetheless, the company is optimistic about the future. Over the next five to ten years, it aims to become the leading car hire provider in the country, managing fleets across multiple cities and serving between two to five million travelers annually.

As Nigeria continues to embrace digital solutions across traditional sectors, Autopilot Nigeria’s lean, tech-enabled approach could be the disruption the car hire industry never saw coming.