The future of ride-hailing in Nigeria is about to become more interesting as Smartcab which was launched on Tuesday, February 29, 2017 has disclosed that all their vehicles will come with Airtel enabled internet Wi-Fi.
“Our target is to make sure all Nigerians have access to top notch transport services while at the same time offering investors and partners an opportunity to generate revenue by joining our platform and converting their vehicles to income generating assets,” said Jubril Arogundale, country manager, SmartCab.
Wi-Fi in taxis is gradually becoming a trend in emerging countries as the push to increase internet penetration intensifies with active private sector participation. The services are already being provided in some African countries including Ghana and South Africa.
Although SmartCab may not be the first and only company to ever offer the services – a version was launched in 2015 by another cab company, SmartCab is however the first to integrate the services in partnering vehicles.
SmartCab’s model is similar to Uber. But unlike the latter, SmartCab owns majority of the vehicles in its fleet. Individual car owners are allowed to operate on its platform after passing through the verification process. Once confirmed, their vehicles are also Wi-Fi enabled to ensure that SmartCab users enjoy the same standard.
A major advantage for drivers under the SmartCab platform is they only get to share 15 percent of their earnings unlike other ride-hailing platforms that may take as much as 25 percent.
“We are an indigenous company, initiated by young Nigerians with clear goals to empower other young people within the country,” Arogundale said.
The SmartCab services are presently available to users in Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Port Harcourt and Abuja.
Users in SmartCab vehicles can auto connect to internet without having to enter credentials every single time at no extra cost to their fare.
