The hunger to move from one place to another is as old as mankind. Humans have always been able to travel within and outside their countries. The reasons for that movement have either been work, business, or pleasure. But travelling has never been without problems. From using camels and horses to using cars and buses, road travel in particular, has had its challenges.
The Problems That Gave Birth To The Industry
In our age of cars and buses, people realised that despite the speed and convenience that come with using the current modes of public transport, it is hard to get moving quickly. You would have to wait for a long time for the car or bus to get filled with passengers before you get moving. It adds to the stress of commuting. There is also the problem of long queues to buy bus tickets for interstate travel. Not to mention the fact that you would have to rise early in the morning just to try and buy a bus ticket. Let’s not forget the price haggling that takes place between passengers and bus conductors.
The Solutions That Were Sought
Commuters wanted comfortable and easy-to-get transportation. They also wanted to be spared the long queues for tickets and the long wait before a car or bus gets moving. Their hearts longed for a way to get a bus ticket to another state without needing to wake up early in the morning to buy it. They wished they could get pay fair prices for intercity or intracity transportation without having to do any price haggling to get it. A number of business minds noticed all this and took action. That led to the birth of some startups.
How Startups Tried To Provide Those Solutions
Some of them, like Uber and Bolt, came up with offerings that reduced the price of hiring a private driver. They even made it possible to share that driver with one or two people and still have that feeling of luxury. Rides became easy to get. All you had to do was open up an app on your smartphone and click away. There was no more need to go out and physically look for a ride to your destination. The ride came to you after a few clicks.
One particular company - SWVL, has kept its focus on intra city mass transportation. It allows users to share a ride in a van or bus at a flat rate around the city of Cairo. Commuters can rest assured that there will be no surge prices. That is a major selling point for the startup.
Others offer a way for the interstate (also known as intercity) bus users to travel with ease and comfort. One of the startups currently doing this is Transita. For example, you can travel from Lagos to Aba, as well as a lot of other intercity destinations without any hassles. There’s even no need to struggle to get the best price because the Transita app lists all the available bus companies, their destinations, and prices. It gives you the power to choose the price that suits you best, as well as the pick up and drop off location that you prefer.
You don’t need to go from one website or bus park to another to compare prices. Using this app spares you the trouble of getting up early in the morning to buy a bus ticket and waiting in long queues at bus parks.
If you love to pick those front row or window seats, you can do that easily on this app too. It is good to know that every single trip by any passenger is insured courtesy of Leadway Assurance’s partnership with Transita. That way everyone can travel with peace of mind.
Transportation technology has come a long way. But there still is a lot of room for growth. As smartphone penetration improves and internet availability grows, more Nigerians will get to benefit from the advancements in the local tech space. We all eagerly anticipate that moment.
