Business

Lagos, Coscharis, Samsung woo more passengers into water transportation

Published

4 years ago

June 13, 2021

L:R: General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Coscharis Group, Abiona Babarinde, General Manager, Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, Afolabi Solebo, Senior Legal Officer, Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, kanyinsola , Managing Director, Lagos Ferry Services, Ladi Balogun, Chairman, Ikoyi Obalende LCDA, Rauf Atanda Lawal, General Manager Lagos State Waterways Authority, Damilola Emmanuel and MD, energicity elivate 9ja, George Ogan during a press conference on lagferry " smilin and sailing raffle promo" at the five cowries terminal Falomo.

As part of efforts to decongest the road and increase the number of commuters of water transport, the Lagos State Government has kick-started a raffle promo, Sailing and Smiling raffle to encourage more people to embrace water transportation.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Five Cowries Terminal to commence the promo at the weekend, the Managing Director, LAGFERRY, Ladi Balogun, said commuters stood to win a lot of prizes when they purchased Lagos Ferry Services (Lagferry) tickets.

He said the mega promo being held in conjunction with a private firm, Elivate9ja, and supported by other companies such as Coscharis Group and Samsung, was designed primarily to attract more commuters into waterways travel as well as reward them for their patronage.
His words: “As you are all aware, we recently took delivery of seven additional new boats to increase our fleet to 20. These boats will be deployed in several routes within the state. We will have more capacity to ferry more people; so we decided to use this promo as an incentive to attract more Lagosians to embrace a means of transportation that is safe, fast, devoid of traffic and very reliable.”
Balogun, who used the opportunity to reel out some of the agency’s achievements in the last one year, informed that they had moved about 502,000 passengers across the waterways between February 2020 and now.
He said, “Since commencement of operation, the agency has never recorded any accident. We are enabling commerce by providing logistics solution to business owners, moving their trucks and cargoes through the waterways within Apapa. We are the only operator that can boost of having 20 number of boats in its fleet, thanks to Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu who is showing unrivalled commitment to improve water transportation. “And of course, we are promoting tourism through regular charter services and we recently ferried the Nigeria male soccer team, the Super Eagles, to Benin Republic for their AFCON tournament.”
In his goodwill message, the General Manager of LASWA, Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, commended the collaboration from both the public and private sector, adding that no single sector could harness its potential alone.
While calling for more private sector participation in the water transportation business, he commended Lagferry for the initiative and the support of other agencies to making the promo possible.
On why the ultimate weekly price is a car, Emmanuel explained that the government was trying to promote the “park and ride” culture, “where you drive to any jetty in the state, park your car at the ample park space provided at the jetty and board a boat to your destination, come back, pick your car and head home.
“The Lagos State Government is committed to the intermodal transport system of road, rail and water, all to be connected through one means of payment system called the cowry card.”
He said
Also speaking, the General Manager Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, Mr Afolabi Solebo, said that with the involvement of consumer protection agency that it had showed the level of sincerity of all the stakeholders involved in the promo.
Solebo assured passengers of protecting their rights to the last minute and urged them to embrace water transportation as alternative to road.
The Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Lottery and Gaming Authority, Mr Bashir Are, represented by Senior Legal Officer, Oyinkan Kusamotu, said they would ensure compliance to the promo rules.
He commended the Lagferry for creating awareness for Lagos residents to shift from road to water transportation in the state.
Chief Executive Officer of Elivate 9JA, Mr George Ogan, said the partnership would bring excitement for ferry users through the buying of Lagferry tickets.
He explained that there were lots of prizes such as microwaves, washing machines, television sets and cars.
Ogan said that there would be refreshment for early passengers of Lagferry during the promo.

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Yuletide: Chisco deploys new luxury, mini buses, top quality services

Published

6 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Trends Admin

Yuletide: Chisco deploys new luxury, mini buses, top quality services

…hails Tinubu for 50% fare rebate

Nigeria’s Transport Company of the Year, Chisco Transport Ltd, has deployed in various routes nationwide its newly procured new luxury and mini buses with the latest innovative features in the industry.

It assured the travelling public of safe and top quality services on all its routes this Christmas/New Year season, and beyond.

It stated this in a statement released on Tuesday, adding that the company, which had been one of the country’s front runners in long distance passenger transportation and logistics for over 45 years, recently inaugurated about four new branches in order to bring its services closer to its teeming customers.

It listed some of the new branches that had helped to boost service delivery this Yuletide season as in Awka, Enugu, and on Okota Road (near Cele Bus Stop on Oshodi-Apapa expressway), Lagos.

It stated, “This is in addition to embarking on a comprehensive maintenance of the existing fleet of buses in order to ensure they are in roadworthy shape for trips across Nigeria and the Lagos-Cotonou-Lome-Accra international route.

“Apart from advanced safety features like real-time GPS tracking and efficient safety systems, the new-look Chisco Transport fleet, featuring state-of-the-art buses, has all it takes to guarantee that passengers travel in style with their comfort and safety prioritised this season.”

It stated that the updated fleet had enhanced the popular Chisco 24 to 48-hour nationwide mail and parcel services.

All these, the leading transport solutions and logistics provider said, are part of deliberate efforts to ensure seamless and comfortable bus and logistic services to the customers during the 2024 Yuletide season and thereafter.

Chisco’s Head of Business Operations, Mr Buchi Ochuba, in the statement explained that the same commitment to ensuring safe and comfortable trips out of major cities and towns before Christmas, would also be deployed to return journeys in the new year.

He said that the management was aware that the huge investments the company had been making towards upscaling its services recently earned it the Transport Company of the Year at the recent Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) Awards in Lagos.

Ochuba reiterated Chisco Transport’s resolve to sustain the high standards that earned the company an enviable reputation, as well as continue investments in safety and comfort of travellers that have earned it the confidence of the travelling public and the auto journalists’ award.

“We appreciate the fact that in adjudging Chisco Transport the Transport Company of the Year, NAJA must have taken into consideration the high standards of our services, the over 50 new air-conditioned buses we procured recently, the new branches we inaugurated, our customer reward scheme and other investments we made to enhance passenger transportation and logistics,” Ochuba stated.

According to him, everything is in place to make certain that the teeming Chisco Transport customers all over Nigeria and on the international route enjoy top quality services, adding “We wish them a wonderful Christmas and a highly prosperous 2025.”

Chisco Transport also applauded President Bola Tinubu for the gesture of subsidising inter-state luxury bus transport fares by 50 percent this Christmas season.

Drawing attention to the importance of infrastructure to the road transportation business, the statement further commended the President for the appreciable allocations for the sector in the 2025 budget.

“We, therefore, wish to urge members of his cabinet to put in more deliberate efforts to help the President attain his vision with speedy and prudent execution inspired by patriotism.”

On the current sharp increase in fares across the routes, the award-winning transport company blamed the situation on rising costs of maintaining the buses, as well as on the high pump prices of diesel and petrol.

The Head of Operations, however, added that at the peak of every Christmas season, long distance buses are almost empty during return trips, which leads to a situation whereby the fares for the first journeys are raised to cushion the losses incurred during reverse trips.

Business

Naira exchanges N1,650/$ in parallel market

Published

9 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Trends Admin

Naira exchanges N1,650/$ in parallel market

Yesterday, the Naira appreciated N1,650 per dollar in the parallel market, compared to N1,655 on Monday.

Similarly, the Naira appreciated to N1,535 per dollar in the official foreign exchange market.

Business

Exchange rate ends 2024 at N1,535/$1, marking a 40.9% depreciation

Published

21 hours ago

December 31, 2024

Trends Admin

Exchange rate ends 2024 at N1,535/$1, marking a 40.9% depreciation

The exchange rate between the naira and the dollar ended the year at N1,535/$1 representing a 40.9% depreciation for 2024.

The official exchange rate between the naira and dollar closed in 2023 at N907.11/$1 thus depreciating by 40.9% for the year which compares to a 49.1% devaluation at the end of 2023.