SafeBoda Nigeria has launched its operations in the country in Ibadan, the Oyo Statecapital.
The company, which has origin from Uganda and has branches in Kenya and now Ibadan, Nigeria, according to its officials, is set to revamp the okada industry by putting safe, tested and trusted motorbikes on the roads to curb insecurity, boost convenience and make lives easy for riders and passengers alike.
During a media parley on Friday, March 6, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Alastair Sussock, a Co-Founder of SafeBoda, said the bike hailing company is a start-up, offering an innovative solution to motorcycle taxi transportation in Africa. The on-demand service focuses on safety, security and building community between SafeBoda drivers and passengers.
He said that SafeBoda Nigeria believes that her presence in Nigeria will not only make transportation easier and less stressful but will be focused on building a community of law-abiding and responsible citizens who will look out for one another, as it has done in Kenya and Uganda, for the past five years.
Babajide Duroshola, Country Manager, SafeBoda Nigeria, during the parley, further explained that Safeboda’s services extend to goods delivery, payments, food orders, and other on-demand services.
He said, “People ask why we decided to come to Ibadan and I reply, “Why not?”. Ibadan is a city of 4.5million people with almost 50, 000 active okadas. It is a city of firsts and its potentials is in its people. It already has a thriving okada community and smartphone adoption is high. Also, it has a thriving middle-class bracket. The government is also willing to support it. The government was actively involved in the process of establishment. All issues that could be a disadvantage to our operations in Oyo State have been identified and sorted out! As a matter of fact, we were supposed to launch last year, in October, long before the Lagos okada ban but we waited to consult and make extensive market research”.
Speaking on rider engagements and benefits, he stressed that the company does not provide assets but trains motorcycle owners and takes them online. This enables connection and saves time. Said he, “For us, it’s more about the individual. We invest in our riders and customer experience/satisfaction. We hope that the people in Ibadan will notice the difference when they ride Safeboda”.
Operations began on Monday, March 2, with routes around Eleyele, Sango, Bashorun/Gate, UI, Poly, Bodija, New Bodija, Agodi, Ijokodo, UCH, Mokola, Dugbe and Jericho.
According to Duroshola, honesty, integrity and excellence are their watchword, as SafeBoda is set to revolutionise the industry
in Nigeria with several novel initiatives geared towards building healthy communities of both drivers and passengers.
