Lagos to expand cowry card payment system to ferry, rail transportation
By Onome Amuge
Primero Transport Services Limited, Nigeria’s leading operators of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), in partnership with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), is working towards implementing the usage of cowry cards across all transportation routes in the state, including ferries and trains.
Fola Tinubu, managing director of the firm, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Addressing complaints raised by commuters about logistics hitches experienced since the introduction of cowry cards, Tinubu stressed that the firm is not in charge of the cowry cards, explaining that it is an innovation of the Lagos State government for transportation transactions.
He, however, assured that the firm is working in conjunction with the state government to resolve all the challenges faced by the commuters.
“With these state-wide cards, a commuter can use it, not just in Primero buses, but on all regulated Lagos State buses. Commuters having some hitches in the switch should bear with us as we are working with the Lagos State government to perfect it. We have some teething problems in terms of logistics since the Cowry card was introduced on Monday for Primero Transport Service across all our routes; we are sorry,” Tinubu said.
He added that the cards had many advantages for commuters as it could be used across all routes in all buses being regulated by the state government.
He also assured that the cards will be beneficial to everyone in the state as the use of the cards will be extended to other transport sectors wherein commuters will be able to use it on ferries and trains, when ready.
The managing director further noted that the firm had swapped the old card for a new one to enable a more efficient and easier access to commuters.
Cowry Card, an e-ticketing system, has been in use on the Oshodi to Abule Egba BRT route by the high-capacity Marcopolo buses.
The state government said the use of the cards had become imperative to reduce cash transactions in transport operations in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Primero Transport Services Ltd. was inaugurated in November, 2015 by Akinwunmi Ambode, erstwhile governor of Lagos State.