Lagos State Government said it will continue to support all genuine local players in the transportation sector in its commitment to improving travel experiences of its residents.
The Special Adviser on Transportation Mr Oluwatoyin Fayinka made this known on Tuesday, at the official unveiling of the MyKab e-hailing cab App, by MyKab App Technologies Ltd, at D’Remembrandt Hotel, Ikeja.
He said the THEMES agenda of the Sanwo-Olu administration with special attention on Transportation and Traffic Management is aimed at ensuring that Lagosians have access to safe, affordable and reliable means of transportation.
Fayinka who commended the creativity behind the Mykab App, said when fully on stream, the firm will provide jobs to the teeming population of youths in the state.
He said the cab hailing app is the best thing to have happened to the youths, especially post COVID-19 as many youths who have been worried about how to continue to fend for themselves especially at a time many companies are downsizing can now be gainfully employed as cab drivers.
“This (the operator), is first among other operators who have not only shown readiness, but is seen to have complied with government regulation of the app driven sub-sector aimed at making the hiking ride safe for all classes of riders”, the governor’s aide said.
Fayinka said the government is happy to note that not only is the company concerned about it’s operations, but also have a robust package for the welfare of drivers operating under its purview.
The National President of Professional e-hailing Drivers and Private cab Owners Association (PEDPA), Comrade Idris Oluwaseun Shonuga, commended the firm for coming up with an app that seeks to resolve all the challenges and complaints of all operators of e-hailing cars in the state.
He said one of the advantages is that the operators now have the opportunity of being organised under one umbrella, in order to afford them the opportunity of being accorded the right respect as professionals in the transportation sub-sector.
“This is the first time that e-hailing operators are being seen as professionals and not as jobless people who is just renting or using their cars for quick bucks, ” Shonuga said.
He said he has no doubt that the app operators would ensure that driver-partners on their app would have adequate package that would ensure good returns on investment and good remuneration for drivers.
Earlier, the Chief Information Officer Mr Fola Adebimpe Kolade said MyKab is a fully indigenous app sharing company that is out to challenge the narratives of e-hailing and put an end to all illegal activities that is inimical to the real operators in the business.
He observed that the app company aims at changing the perception of extortion of both the drivers and riders by app operators, who often operates and sees themselves above government regulation.
He assured riders that every driver -partner on the app have been profiled and have been trained and retrained to be make their journey-time enjoyable and memorable.
“On the MyKab App, the welfare of all our drivers is key. All of them are properly vetted before we sign them on, and we see them as partners. They are not undervalued. Rather, we train and ensure that they are psychologically ready to be on the road. We are partnering with several driving agencies to train our drivers even as we have selected mechanic hubs in designated locations across the state where our drivers can repair their vehicles at cheaper rates, ” Kolade said.
He further disclosed that the app which would flag-off operation in Lagos will begin operation with 5000 cab drivers, adding that within a year, the operator intends to spread their operation to other parts of the Southwest and the rest of the country.
“We pay close attention to the welfare of driver-partners. We have Health Insurance for all our stakeholders. We have soft loan opportunities for all drivers and a micro pension scheme for them. We take responsibility to serve our community and stakeholders, ” Kolade said.
The CIO who noted that MyKab will offer a new deal in comfort and reliability to all riders said the App service comes with amazing features which affords riders to choose the kind of rides they prefer for their scheduled trips, easy reporting formats in case of complaints and readiness to build a community of users with all risers and other stakeholders especially partners.
Kolade said MyKab is built on a robust structure that is scalable, flexible, affordable and complies with all regulations by the government and the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
“We took out time to come up with a top notch app that will meet the needs of all our stakeholders, especially the riders and the drivers. We are here for the long run and we assuring all riders to come and experience a hailing service that is different from what they are used to.
He said the MyKab App can be downloaded from all android play store or Iphones apple store, even as it exists on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram handles on the handle: @ridemyKab.