Mohammed Shosanya
A tech-driven mobility company, NAIRAXI and its partner Firstplus have unveiled a digital system to support mass transportation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in order to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.
The company,in a statement said fuel subsidy removal has been the third rail of Nigerian politics since subsidies were introduced in the 1970s
To lessen the pains of fuel subsidy removal, NAIRAXI and its partners Firstplus maintained that the private sector-driven approach to digitalise mass transit systems is vital in cushioning the sufferings and challenges of transportation within Nigeria.
At the unveiling ceremony, Yusuf Umar, Chairman of Firstplus, explained that the ongoing plans to work with FCT Administration would help to alleviate and soften the impacts of the fuel subsidy on Nigerians.
According to him, the mass transit scheme would be beneficial to Nigerians as it would change the transportation landscape.
Also speaking,Kingsley Eze, co-founder, explained that the initiative would enhance access to affordable transport services.
“The initiative provides a sustainable platform through which mass Transportation can be effectively subsidized by governments and yet create huge revenue. The Automated Fare Collection system of NAIRAXI allows the convenient use of contactless smart cards as cashless payment instruments in public transportation modes,” he said.
He maintained that the initiative provides a sustainable platform through which mass transportation can be effectively subsidized by governments and yet create huge revenue.
“The automated Fare Collection system of NAIRAXI allows the convenient use of contactless smart cards as cashless payment instruments in public transportation modes,” he said.
According to him, NAIRAXI is partnering with other road transport operators, alongside state governments to introduce technology into our mass transit systems. It has adopted technology to ensure effective payment systems, proper accessibility, ease of payment, automated fare collection, security and monitoring for sustainable management.
He added that these initiatives will curb the corruption and fraudulent activities in fare collection through the implementation of the Auto -fare collection system (AFCS) and user smart card (USC) as they are designed to track transaction and payment history.
Speaking on the benefits of the Initiatives, NAIRAXI boss explained that it would provide customized electronic transit cards and subsidise mass transportation on behalf of the government to ameliorate the harsh economic conditions experienced by the masses due to the removal of fuel subsidies.
