Lagos targets 175m passengers on water annually

The Lagos State government has revealed that the new Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY) commercial operations on Lagos waterways is expected to carry 480, 000 passengers daily and over 175 million annually.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAGFERRY, Hon Ladi Balogun, disclosed this at the weekend at a press briefing on the commercial launch of operations of LAGFERRY held at Bagauda Kaltho Press Center, Alausa, Ikeja.

According to LAGFERRY boss, the water transportation outfit would be unveiled on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, with the commissioning of 14 new Ferry boats for public transportation, adding that the state governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, would also launch a LAGFERRY operations app to operate a schedule water transportation services with online/offline ticket bookings.

He described the launch as a huge step forward in the integration of intermodal transportation in the state, disclosing that it was a process that would allow technology play a big role in the integration, which had been on since 1999.

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“Being a megacity and emerging smart city, it is quite obvious that efficient traffic management can best be experienced in Lagos State if the three modes of rail, road and water transportation are effectively integrated to complement one another. Commuting the over 20 million people of Lagos State largely on the road has, thus far, proven ineffective,” Balogun said.

According to LAGFERRY boss, road transportation has been overstretched, adding that, “the introduction of Minibuses, Keke Marwa and Okada (Motorbikes) had mostly compounded the management of traffic across the state.

“In as much as these diverse means of road transportation cluster Lagos roads, the bus-stops continue to play host to stranded passengers,” he lamented.

Balogun said the current administration was committed to changing the narrative by making an appreciable level of investment capable of lifting the face of water transportation in the state.

“Water transportation is an integral component to the development of the Lagos multimodal transport system; we have no doubt that the waterways will offer further solution to persistent gridlock on our roads and the ever growing transport demand in the state,” he said.

Speaking on the operation, which would commence on Tuesday, Balogun listed the affected routes to include: Ipakodo Terminal, Ikorodu-Five Cowries Terminal, Falomo Ikoyi, Ipakodo Terminal, Ikorodu-Ebute Ero Jetty-Elegbata–Lagos Island, Marina Terminal CMS, among others.