New transportation App ‘Agbero’ to be unveiled in Lagos
The Nations
A new digital platform known as ‘agbero’, (a software app technology), will wiil be unveiled, to facilitate safe, affordable and reliable transportation in Nigeria’s major urban centres. The app which would be flagged off in Lagos, before the end of first quarter this year, would replace the human agbero, who earns a commission based on fares paid by commuters to transport operators. Disclosing in Lagos on Friday, the Managing Director of RU-ITI Ltd, Mr Olusesan Ogunmilade, said the new technology which would undoubtedly disrupt the old ways of doing transportation business; “is convenient to use, affordable for commuters and available when needed.”
He disclosed that the solution among others, would ensure a fixed fare regime which would put an end to arbitrary fleecing of commuters by commercial bus operators, guaranty improved income and return on investments by operators and provide an opportunity for the regulatory agencies in various states to plan and project for the sector. It would also be increasing the state’s Internally Generated Revenue. Ogunmilade who noted that transportation is a social service said the company is already working on the acceptance of the transportation solution with the Lagos State governments as well as other states, adding that the platform which would bring all public transportation operators on board is best to relieve the roads of the pressure and ensure that public transportation becomes accepted as a viable alternative for its affordable, safe and reliable means of transportation.
He said: “The agbero app works the same way like Uber or Taxify, and cold be downloaded on the play store or Apple Store by commuters and the intention is to make commuting more convenient for commuters, as people would be able to purchase bus tickets right from their phones, or any other mobile devices, from their homes thereby cutting off the noise menace from the usual agbero they encounters at garages and on the streets. “It is called agbero, in order to give it local flavour and to push that name as a global brand. Like the human agbero, we also hope to earn commission on tickets sold for all routes on which the app would be deployed and by so doing ensure that we insulate the system from unions who have been feeding fat on operators profitability.
The agbero solution mirrors the original analogue human agbero, and upscales it to a digital platform” According to him, subscription for participation is open to both public and private bus, or fleet operators, adding that states with functional mass transit systems would be encouraged to integrate their operations into the agbero database, for improved profitability. Ogunmilade said the firm is already discussing with the Lagos State government which is the unit of government constitutionally empowered to control and regulate urban mass transit in the state with a view to securing their buy in before the agbero app rolls off its operation. He said though the firm intends turning all urban centres in the country into smart cities by automating wifi hubs across the states, it would however be flagging off in Lagos and Ibadan, with offline solutions until full automation of its operations takes off.
“Turning all our cities from analogue into smart cities is a journey we cannot begin and end in a day, so as we get more patronage and the nation develops more capacity to generate and distribute more energy, we would be deploying more wifi hubs that would make it more comfortable for commuters to use their phones and other devices to plan their trips and enjoy their ride without any stress of intimidation by any middle man operating in our garages across all the states of the country,” Ogunmilade added. He said the solution which aims at promoting comfortable access to transportation alternatives, would be making use of all the payment solutions available in the country, a development, he said, would further promote banking culture in the country He said the app, as a transportation solution should roll out in Lagos before the end of first quarter of this year, while attempts would be made to expand operations to other states before the end of the year.
