THE management of PlentyWaka, a technology –driven bus sharing solution, has explained that the decision to upgrade its app to a more sophisticated one is to further enhance user’s experience and address the grey areas, left uncovered by the previous application.
Making this clarification in Lagos, after an experiential tour with some of the buses in its fleet, the Managing Director and Co-Founder of PlentyWaka, Mr. Jonny Enagwolor stated that the new app had become imperative to further endear Lagos residents to the bus-sharing solution, formally launched in the state, in September, this year.
He explained that the technology-driven service, was conceived with the aim of allowing commuters to schedule their rides from their preferred pick-up locations to their desired destinations.
Enagwolor added that the introduction of the new app signified that the old beta app had been upgraded to a completely new PlentyWaka app, that offers many interesting features that enhance the experiences of the user.
One of such features, he explained, is the introduction of a wallet system, WakaPurse, which allows the rider create their wallets and fund such wallets, without having to drop their bank details with the company.
Besides, he argued, unlike the previous payment system, the WakaPurse allows riders perform group bookings with its new multi-rider feature.
He also took time to refute claims in some quarters that the introduction of the tech-driven solutions, in the nation’s transport would sound the death knell of businesses of traditional players in the industry.
“What we’ve come to do is to further enhance the nation’s transport sector, by adding value to it and enriching the experiences of riders,” he stated.
Besides the fact that the drivers of the set of 25 buses, provided by the company, through crowd-funding having the opportunity to own the buses after a three-year period, the system, he added, provided the opportunity for investors, desirous of playing in the sector an opportunity, through the PlentyWaka Vehicle Partnership scheme, to do that without the usual apprehension that goes with such investment.
Also speaking on the new app, the Director of Operations, PlentyWaka, Mr. Afolabi Oluseyi, expressed the belief that the new application would make the process of getting on and off the bus, easier.
“The idea is to help decongest the roads, by making more and more Nigerians leave their vehicles at home and go around the city in very decent vehicles.
“We believe if we are able to do this, we would have contributed to the well-being of Lagosians, whose lifespans are increasingly getting shortened because of the horrendous hours they spend in traffic,” he stated.