Governor Babajide Sanwoolu yesterday launched the first batch of the 1000 cars powered by automobile maker, GAC under the LAGRIDE car scheme.
The e-hailing taxi system is part of a collaboration between the state government and GAC, a Chinese automobile manufacturing company that also includes the building of a car assembly factory in Lagos.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu praised the initiative, which was unveiled at Lagos House in Ikeja, as “a promise fulfilled” in terms of improving mobility in line with Lagos’s megacity status.
He said a full security gadget, including a 360 dashboard camera that will provide 24-hour audio-visual feeds to the control center, had been pre-installed on the cars to improve riders’ and passengers’ security.
He also stated that each automobile has a panic button that may be utilized by anyone on board in the event of an assault or emergency. Sanwoolu also went on to say that ”The scheme will be operated on a lease-to-own basis, as a component of our multimodal transportation blueprint. The need to provide a dignifying and more rewarding means of livelihood for the unemployed and underemployed population gave birth to the new ‘Lagos State Taxi Scheme’, which will be operated on a lease-to-own basis. Under this arrangement, a beneficiary will be provided a brand-new car which will become the driver’s property after completion of the payment of the vehicle’s subsidized cost. What we witnessed today is that Lagos is moving away from the era of worn-out and unsafe cabs to a brand-new, comfortable, and safe transport system”.
The Governor also talked about how the scheme would bring about employment for many ”The multiplier effect of this singular initiative on job creation, youth employment and economic growth and development in the State cannot, therefore, be overstated, as the residents of Lagos state will be partakers of this initiative”.
Cui Jianchun, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, urged the Lagos State administration to invest more in rail transit in order to reduce traffic congestion.
Governor Sanwo-Olu and Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat used the web application to schedule rides as part of the Lagride’s debut.
