Touch and Pay Technologies (TAP), a Nigerian fintech company has launched the Cowry Card Cashless Fare Collection Technology on new Lagos Rail Mass Tr
Touch and Pay Technologies (TAP), a Nigerian fintech company has launched the Cowry Card Cashless Fare Collection Technology on new Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Rail Line.
The Lagos Rail Mass Transit is a rapid transit system being developed and under construction in Lagos State. The rail system is being managed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). The railway equipment including electric power, signals, rolling stock, and fare collection equipment will be provided by the private sector under a concession contract. LAMATA is responsible for policy direction, regulation, and infrastructure for the network.
Cashless fare collection technology
TAP partnered with the Lagos state government to enable citizens to use the Cowry card across the 13 kilometers of track proposed for the project. The first phase of the track, from Marina to Mile-2, supports 200,000 daily passengers, who can now seamlessly enter and exit stations through TAP’s state-of-the-art turnstiles. Upon completion, phase two, from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko, will enable up to 500,000 daily passengers to maneuver between stations Rail, Bus and Ferry easily.
In Nigeria, 64 million adults don’t have access to banks. This limits people’s ability to withdraw cash for use on public transportation. To solve this problem, TAP created the Cowry card, an ingenious card that is used to pay for transport digitally, first trailed on buses in 2020, widening financial inclusion for Africa’s unbanked population. In just four years, Cowry cards have been used in six states and helped to make 3.5 million monthly contactless transactions on buses.
Riders touch their Cowry cards against the tempered glass-protected state-of-the-art turnstile validators, which use Near-field communication (NFC) technology to enable communication between cards and the automated collection points. TAP’s pay-as-you-go card dramatically lowers fare evasion. Unlike riders on other lines, the 500,000 daily passengers using the Blue Rail Line, will not have to endure the old, arduous procedure of having their tickets manually examined. Turnstiles will operate at Alaba, Marina, National Theatre, Mile 2, and Orile.
“We are thrilled to be facilitating and digitising payment on behalf of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). We’ve deployed our NFC payment solutions on BRT buses, ferries, and now trains. Our contactless payment solutions have been a huge success. We have created a 21st-century solution for today’s passengers. Up until now, train fares typically worked on low-value cash transactions, whereas most electronic cards don’t allow for payment below $10, which was problematic for many passengers,” said Olamide Afolabi, Co-founder and CEO of Touch and Pay Technologies.
“Our Cowry card, which enables microtransactions between 10 cents and $10, bridges this gap. People can now use a digital and modern method to pay for their train journeys without carrying huge amounts of cash. We are optimistic that even more passengers will discover the benefits of this fast, yet reliable technology, which unifies transportation in Lagos – for the first time,” Olamide added.