GIGM has been making strides as regards land transportation in Nigeria and beyond – creating a fusion between tech and mobility. And one of the ways it is doing this is through their online booking platform and mobile application.
These days, technology has made everything easy. Ride-hailing platforms allow users to order rides from wherever they are, and GIGM is doing the same for inter-state and inter-country transportation.
With the promise that users can book a ticket in less than 5 minutes, I decided to give their android mobile app a trial, and here is how it went.
Using the GIGM Mobile App
At 33mb, the app is a fair size for most devices but is still on the large side when compared to the mobile apps of other transport companies like GUO (12mb) and Chisco (20mb).
Upon opening the app, first-time users have the option to register or continue as guests while old-time users can just log in to use.
Entering the details for registration was quick and easy, but getting the One-Time Password needed for verification was not the best. SMS never came, had to opt for the email check.
Asides from that it was smooth. Registration is done, now let us check out the app.
Once in, you will see the Menu icon, GIGM logo, and Country (Nigeria, Ghana) on top of the homepage. Just in the middle of the page, you get to see the major features of the bus nicely placed. You have the Book a Seat, Hire a Bus, Pick me up and Danfo.
Like the name implies the Book a Seat option lets you book a seat on a GIGM bus for your travel.
Here you will need to fill in your details including your departure terminal – which you can select from GIGM’s pre-listed terminals, your arrival terminal, departure date, arrival date (if it’s a round trip) and number of travellers you are booking for.
Once all the details are filled, users can proceed to select their preferred available bus, and their seats. If pickup points are available for the route, users can request to be picked up at their preferred point, after which contact information for next of kin will need to be filled.
Once done, users will need to make to make their payments (card or USSD) and are issued tickets.
Users will need to make to make their payments with their card or the USSD
Initially for my test I filled the Akowonjo terminal, which is the closest to me for departure. But on the list of Arrival terminals, I could not find Accra where GIGM just launched last month.
After a bit of shuffling, I found out that Accra and Lome destinations are only available for 3 terminals – Ajah, Cele/Ojota, and Jibowu, all of which are in Lagos.
The Hire a Bus option lets you hire a GIGM Bus and the Pick Me Up option lets you request for your bus to pick you up from the closest pickup point on your route.
The only mysterious option of these 4 is the Danfo. When you click on it, it shows you a tooned picture of a Danfo (the popular yellow buses used for public transportation in Lagos), and says coming 2020.
Although there’s no information from GIGM about this feature yet, it indicates that GIGM could be entering the bus-hailing space.
And if this is so, it will see the company go head-on with Farmcrowdy’s Plentywaka and Opera’s OBus. But yeah, 2020 is just a few weeks away.
Beyond this 4 options, there are two faint options in grey colour below. If you look at them well, you will see icons of an airplane and boat.
Is GIGM planning to enter the air and water transport space too?
The company has always suggested that it could venture into other transport verticals; one of the reasons for the name change in September this year from GIG Motors to GIG Mobility.
The bigger question here now is when? Because unlike the Danfo option, this has no suggested date. Nevertheless, fingers crossed.
Beyond these, the side menu lets you check the status of your booked ticket, track your bus, and check the history of your travels with GIGM. There’s also a notification feature and help & support to assist you.
My Take
The app did not chew more than it can bite. It does save you the minutes you would spend at the terminal trying to book a ticket. But there could be improvements especially in the delivery of the OTP.
While there are some mysteries to be unravelled, it does its job well and helps you book a ticket for your travels.
You can also download and check out the app on your Android or iOS device.
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