Lagos is Nigeria’s biggest and richest city. But like every metropolis, traffic is a major problem in the city. Daily, residents struggle to commute from their homes to work. Many leave their homes as early as 4:00 am to get to work at the industrial and commercial areas like Marina, Ikoyi, and Ikeja. Although the government is doing its best to tackle this problem, it still persists.
Staffbus.ng is set to provide a solution to this huge problem. According to the startup, traffic in Lagos is caused majorly by the fact that there are too many cars in the state. Too many cars cause congestion and compound road transport woes. So what’s the solution?
Must Watch: How Staffbus.ng Aims To Solve The Challenges Of Daily Commute To Work https://t.co/T3FJ7KrC4r via @innovationville @Staffbusng
— Adeniyi Ogunfowoke (@sleeksavvy) September 19, 2017
Staffbus.ng is encoraging Lagos residents to leave their cars at home and book its luxury buses for their daily commute to work. Founded by Olusegun Oludayo and Ayodeji Ogunnubi, Staffbus.ng’s innovation is a realistic one.
For years, the Lagos State government has worked hard to make the BRT bus system more omnipresent. The state has been developing a vast road network to accommodate these buses. The buses are comfortable, quick and accommodate more passengers than the regular commercial buses in town.
Staffbus.ng follows a similar route. The startup is a commuter network service that makes it easy for employees to get to work and back home every day safely and hassle free. With StaffBus.ng, one can book rides from a select list of plans and make payments for rides.
It is like an Uber for buses!
A Tech Startup @staffbusng solving the challenges of daily commuters in Lagos has clinched the grand prize of 5million Naira in the STEP initiative tin Lagos. @STinubu pic.twitter.com/kblLGhWxK6
— Babafemi Oretuyi (@Opetuyii) June 27, 2018
The startup has also been gaining traction lately. Recently, it emerged overall winner of the Seyi Tinubu Empowerment Project (STEP), Lagos Edition. Organized by the Noella Foundation, STEP provides business mentorship and networking opportunities to young entrepreneurs. As the winner of the Lagos edition of STEP, Staffbus.ng gets a 5,000,00 million naira grant and an office space in Lekki, Lagos.
However, not much is known about how Staffbus.ng aims to operate its buses. For one thing, following the same roads as regular buses is counter-productive. Smaller buses move faster and have a negative reputation for maneuvering. Staffbus.ng buses will find it difficult looking professional and having to keep up with the madness on the road.
In my opinion, a much better approach would be to partner the state government. This would allow it operate on BRT designated lanes. Yet, the BRT system already seems like a PPP system, making Staffbus.ng a competitior, and not a partner.
Either ways, a lot of planning and networking is needed to get Staffbus.ng off the ground.
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