AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Set a driver's daily return from the vehicle's realistic takings minus fuel, platform commission, levies and the driver's fair share, not from what other owners charge. Write the amount, the pay day, the rest day and who pays for repairs into a signed agreement, and record every payment against the target daily so shortfalls are spotted within a week. The figures below are examples only; your route, vehicle and city decide the real numbers.
What a daily return is
In much of Nigerian road transport the owner does not pay the driver a wage. The driver keeps the takings, buys fuel, and pays the owner a fixed sum per day or per week, often called the return or delivery. For ride-hailing cars it is commonly weekly. The arrangement is simple, but it fails when the target is set without arithmetic: too high, and the driver overworks the vehicle, skips maintenance or disappears; too low, and the vehicle never pays for itself.
Build the target from the vehicle's economics
Start with what a good, ordinary day on the route actually brings in, then take out the costs the driver pays. What remains is shared between owner and driver. Ask experienced drivers on the route and test your estimate in the first month before fixing it.
Example 1: a commercial bus on a Lagos route
- Takings
- 10 trips × 14 passengers × ₦1,000 = ₦140,000
- Fuel
- ₦45,000
- Conductor
- ₦10,000
- Daily government levy
- ₦800 (the Lagos consolidated levy as announced in January 2022; check today's amount)
- Left to share
- ₦140,000 − ₦45,000 − ₦10,000 − ₦800 = ₦84,200
- Owner's return
- ₦35,000
- Driver keeps
- ₦49,200
Radio Nigeria reported in January 2022 that Lagos State signed an agreement to replace multiple park charges with a flat Consolidated Transport Sector Levy of ₦800 a day, paid at the loading point and covering council dues, park sanitation, other agency charges and drivers' personal income tax. Union dues were said to be separate. Ask your state revenue service or transport ministry what applies today.
Example 2: a ride-hailing car
- Gross fares
- ₦50,000 a day
- Platform commission
- 20% = ₦10,000
- Fuel
- ₦15,000
- Left to share
- ₦25,000
- Owner's return
- ₦12,000 a day, collected as ₦72,000 for a six-day week
- Driver keeps
- ₦13,000 a day
The 20 per cent commission used here is the Lagos rate Bolt gave BusinessDay in February 2026 (Abuja was 21 per cent). Other platforms charge differently and rates change, so check each platform's current driver terms.
Put the terms in writing
A one-page agreement prevents most disputes. It should cover:
- The return amount, the period (daily or weekly), the due time and how it is paid.
- The rest day, and whether a return is due on public holidays or days the route is shut.
- Who pays for routine servicing, tyres and repairs, and what happens when the vehicle is off the road.
- How shortfalls are handled: carried forward, repaid over set days, or a trigger for review.
- Who holds the vehicle papers and what happens to fines and accidents.
- If it is a hire-purchase deal, the total price, number of payments and when ownership passes.
Tracking returns every day
Keep one line per vehicle per day. Ask drivers to pay by transfer with the plate number as the reference, so every payment matches without a phone call.
| Date | Plate | Driver | Target | Paid | Shortfall | Running balance | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | ABC 123 XY | Driver A | ₦35,000 | ₦35,000 | ₦0 | ₦0 | |
| Tue | ABC 123 XY | Driver A | ₦35,000 | ₦30,000 | ₦5,000 | ₦5,000 | Road closure |
| Wed | ABC 123 XY | Driver A | ₦35,000 | ₦40,000 | −₦5,000 | ₦0 | Recovered |
Review the sheet weekly. A driver who is short one day in ten has bad days; a driver who is short three days a week has a target that is too high or a problem you need to talk about. Compare across vehicles on the same route: if every driver is short, the target is wrong. The existing guide on how fleet owners track weekly pay-ins covers weekly models in more depth.
When the target needs to change
A fixed return set in a good month will be wrong after a fuel price rise, a fare change or a long road closure. Review the arithmetic every quarter, and at once when fuel moves sharply. Show the driver the figures you used: takings, fuel, levies and the split. A driver who can see why the return moved is more likely to accept it than one handed a new number. Equally, if fares rise and fuel does not, the owner can fairly ask for a share of the gain. Write each change into the agreement with its start date.
Do not spend the whole return
The owner's return is not profit. Part of it must go to a maintenance reserve and part to replacing the vehicle when it wears out. Our guide on vehicle maintenance reserves shows how to set aside a sum per kilometre, and union dues, permits and levies covers the other regular charges to budget for.
Where Pryme fits
With a Pryme Business Account you can give each driver a dedicated virtual account number, so returns arrive already labelled by vehicle. Transport is one of the sectors in Spaces, Pryme's merchant ecosystem in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, which transport businesses with a Business Account can join.
Questions people ask
How much should a driver pay daily return in Lagos?
There is no official figure. Work it out from the route's realistic takings minus fuel, conductor, levies and a fair share for the driver, then test it for a month.
What is a fair weekly return for a ride-hailing car?
It depends on fares, fuel and platform commission. Take gross fares, subtract commission and fuel, and split what remains, leaving the driver a living income.
How do I track driver payments for my buses?
Record one line per vehicle per day with target, amount paid, shortfall and running balance, and ask drivers to pay by transfer with the plate number as reference.
Who should pay for vehicle repairs, owner or driver?
Either can, but agree it in writing before the driver starts, including what happens to the return while the vehicle is off the road.
Sources
- Bolt rules out commission reduction amid driver union pressure in Nigeria (BusinessDay) · accessed Oct 2026
- Transport unions in Lagos to pay N800 naira to government daily (Radio Nigeria Lagos) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.