FG Launches E- ticket Platform for Lagos-Ibadan, Warri/ Itakpe Line
The federal government has launched an e- ticketing system for passengers travelling through Lagos-Ibadan as well as Warri/ Itakpe rail corridors.
The Minister of Transportation, Senator Sa’idu Alikali, on Monday, performed the official launching ceremony in Abuja, with an emphasis that the project would kickstart off on November 1, in the mentioned rail corridors.
The Minister, while unvailing two concessionaire companies including Global Software and Digital Solutions in charge of Lagos-Ibadan and Fane Ticketing Solution in charge of Warri/ Itakpe, noted that the concession period would be for 10 years with an assurance of effective and uninterupted services.
Furthermore, he reiterated government’s effort at ensuring that ticket racketeering becomes a thing of the past as it targets to restore the confidence of users of the rail service on security. “The essence of e- ticketing, is to avoid corruption in the system and this is what we have heard in the past, which had befallen the system and this is to ensure that all Nigerian citizens are shown this sense of belonging and protection while patronising the system”.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Managing Director, Fidel Ohiria, stated that his leadership, is confident of the e- ticketing companies, owing to their years of reputations.
He said, he is not at this point expecting any disappointment from the two companies since jingles and advertisment has gone out to inform the general public of the new innovation at the busiest railway corridors in the country. He said, “ we have in the past experienced the menace of tickets racketeering and owing to that, many were sacked and other suspended for various involvements.
Also speaking, while assuring the Federal Government of professional conduct, the CEO ticketing solutions, Mr. Oyekola Adewumi, a concessioner for the Itakpe/ Warri corridor, noted that his system, is capable of giving the Nigerian public adequate service they needed interns of record keeping and identification of individuduals who are involved in racketeering of tickets.
He said that Nigerians with National Identification number NIN, are designed to obtain tickets for proper identification against racketeering and other criminality.
“ We also have a system that can track ticket racketeering among those, who purchased tickets but failed to use them. Our system singles them out and blacklist them”.
Also speaking Mr Pushkah Nanda, the Vice- President Sales, software and digital solutions, in charge of Lagos / Ibadan corridor, observed that his company’s system will for the moment continue to operate on point on sale POS system, with perfect data capturing but would transform into main e-ticketing by the end of November.
The rail service ticket racketeering, it could be recalled, has become a menace which many dubious individuals has exploited to make quick returns from unsuspecting public.
