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FG launches e-ticketing for Lagos-Ibadan, Warri – Itakpe rail lines
The Federal government has launched the E-ticket platform for Lagos-Ibadan and Warri-Itakpe rail lines.
Speaking on Monday at the launch in Abuja, the Minister of Transportation, Sen. Saidu Akali said the essence of the initiative is to insure passengers security, will ease access to tickets, while also putting an end ticket racketeering.
“The essence of this e- ticketing is to make it easy for us to get our ticket, to insure security of our passengers and to avoid racketeering because it is the desire of this administration to have zero tolerance for corruption .
” I launch it today to the glory of God and to the benefit of our citizens,” said Alkali
The Minister disclosed that
The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Marine, and Blue Economy, Mrs. Magdalene Ajani, said the contract was awarded by the Federal Executive Council early this year, 2023, and it went through the process of concessioning.
“This is a concession and it went through concession process. The private sector brought in their money to get this technology done and they would recoup their money over a period of ten years and it is Federal Executive Council approved.”
The Managing Director of NRC, Mr. Fidet Okhiria, explained that the e-ticketing will make it easy for Nigerians to access and buy their tickets online and start their journey without any hinderance or struggling to start running to the station.
Enumerating the benefits of e-ticketing, the MD NRC revealed NRC staff who were caught on camera selling tickets have faced the disciplinary panel, adding that four of them were sacked, seven of were demoted while two were suspened in Itakpe.
Okhiria said, ” As for the improvement, I can say that we did not earn anything less than 4million last week in a day for the itakpe warri trip last week. By the time the e-ticketing commence, the itakpe-warri earning would go up.”
He also said the e-ticketing platform would be extended from 24 hours to 48 hours so that people can buy tickets 48 hours before their journey, and it will be open until 15 minutes before boarding time.
The contractors for the platform, Global Software and Digital Solutions and Fane Warri-Itakpe Ticketing Solutions LTD, made a demonstration of how to operate the platforms on the Nigerian Railway Corporation website.
The platform allows customers to buy tickets with their National Identification Number, NIN, online, while there will also be point-of-sale machines for those who want to purchase at the station.
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