Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Federal Government on Thursday announced the concessioning of the e-ticketing service of the Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor to SecureID for 10 years at the cost of N900 million.
The announcement was made during the official inauguration of the e-ticketing service by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi at a virtual event in Abuja.
Amaechi also disclosed that the N900 million 10 year deal was a public private partnership initiative, adding that SecureID would provide the service and run it for 10 years to recoup its investment before reverting ownership to the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
The minister also disclosed that the e-ticketing solution was introduced following numerous complaints by commuters on ticket racketeering at the Abuja-Kaduna train stations, adding that the online ticketing solution marked the beginning of automation of ticket sales in all major stations on the Abuja-Kaduna train service.
He said: “It is in line with global best practice and will enhance efficiency, save time and promote accountability, while also reducing leakage and promoting economic growth.”
Speaking during the event, the Chairman of the Governing Board of NRC, Ibrahim Musa, said the e-ticketing solution had finally put an end to the persistent allegation of ticket racketeering at the train stations.
On her part, the Chief Executive Officer, SecureID Solutions, Kofo Akinkugbe, noted that the inauguration of the service would lead to multi-model ticketing in public transportation, while allowing for passenger convenience, efficiency and accountability for operators.
According to her, the service would provide data for government in making better decisions that would enhance the operations of the country’s railways, adding that the e-ticketing solution after a successful pilot programme that was done last week had issued 25,000 tickets online.
She said the solution offered an increased customer experience such as convenient ticket purchase 24 hours a day, seat selection, secured online payments and no physical interaction, among others.
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