IWorld to decongest 10m commuters Lagos gridlock

A transportation outfit, IWorld Transit Services Limited on Sunday launched the first indigenous transportation app in the country. The apps enables commuters to have access to any class of cab at their door steps.

In a chat with BusinessDay over the weekend in an event to herald the new technology, Charles Ojo said that the service was not to compete with Uber but to prove that Nigerians could also develop their own app. He told the audience, including representatives of the Lagos State Taxi Drivers’ Association, that the aim was to further decongest roads in Lagos City.

According to him, the app linked to over 400 trained taxi drivers in Lagos State, is not metered driven. The services are not charged per hour and all payment, for now, is made electronically through the app. These alone authenticate the services and the status of the driver.

In his submission, “The over 400 cabs in Lagos State can be located in any part of state. It is to make movement convenient among professional colleagues and any other Nigerians. The app tells you where the driver is coming from and which association the cab belongs for safety reasons.’’

Fielsing questions on the geographical spread of the new taxi services, the company chief disclosed that IWorld will be starting with Lagos, but in due course, the services will be extended to Ibadan, Port Harcourt , Abuja and other major cities in Nigeria.

The cabs cover every Nigerian, irrespective of their class because the firm observed at any point in time, over 10 million Lagosians move for various reasons in the state.

Ojo said that the services was to help professionals through collaborative ride to their offices instead of individual ride, adding that collaborative ride would save the cost of fuelling, wear and tear of vehicle and the stress of driving in the city.

He stressed that the firm was walking with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to expand the services with more cabs.

Responding on behalf of his group, Taiwo Omole, General Secretary of the Lagos State Taxi Cab Association, said that the indigenous app was long overdue.

Omole reiterated that over 400 members of the association had been trained on the use of the app, adding that each of the drivers belonged to the over 287 taxi parks in the state. He assured commuters of safety and jolly ride to their various destinations.

Other dignitaries present at the occasion are Omolara Kareem, who represented the managing director, LAMATA, Afolabi Tinubu, managing director, Primrose Transport Services Limited, Tokunbo Salami, chairman, IWorld Transit Services Ltd and Oluwafemi Adedayo, deputy route commandant, FRSC, Lagos State, who stood in for the Hyginus Omeje, Sector Commander, Federal Roads Safety Commission, (FRSC) Lagos State.

MIKE OCHONMA