Alkali flags off e-ticketing for Lagos-Ibadan, Warri-Itakpe rail lines

Oru Leonard 

The Minister of Transportation in Nigeria, Sa’idu Alkali, yesterday, launched the electronic ticketing platform for the Lagos- Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri rail line.

The electronic ticketing contract was awarded earlier this year by Federal Executive Council (FEC) to GSD Solution, to handle Lagos- Ibadan route and Fane International Consults to handle the Warri- Itakpe route at the cost of N1.96 billion for both firms.

With this development, as from tomorrow, November 1, Nigerians can now log into the website of Nigeria Railway Corporation NRC) and book their ticket using their National Identification Number (NIN) to purchase same.

Demonstrating how the ticket can be booked online, Mr Pushrar Nanda stated that a customer is allowed to purchase only three tickets, one for himself and he must provide the NIN of the two others he is purchasing for to avoid ticket racketeering.

Chairman of Fane International Consults, Mr Olufisayo Ishola, said customers must purchase tickets 24 hours before departure and there is no refund of money if the customer fails to show up.

He said once the ticket has been booked online, the customer only has five minutes to make payment, failing to do that within that time will lead to the cancelling of the ticket, noting that there is a N100 extra inconvenience fee charge for those who book online.

Also, there will be point-of-sale machines for those who want to purchase at the station. The contractors explained that the machines for ticket purchases will be linked with the system to track payments and ensure there is no racketeering. There will also be a verification point before boarding to ensure that the data of customers matches that of the ticket holder.

On his part, NRC Managing Director, Fidet Okharia, stated that the initiative will increase revenue generation for the country.

“I am happy about this project; apart from the fact that e-ticketing will end issues of ticket racketeering, it will also increase revenue from the routes. Already, last week, revenue on Warri-Itakpe increased from N3 million to N4 million and will increase further,” he said.

Launching the electronic ticketing, the honorable Minister assured Nigerians that their data is safe because the booking done in a government owned website,