The Lagos State Government has launched the *Interstate Park Accreditation and Passenger Manifest Digitization* project, designed to revolutionize interstate travel by enhancing safety, reliability, and efficiency.
The announcement was made on Friday at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi.
Speaking at the event, Osiyemi stressed that the project represents a commitment to ensuring the safety and comfort of every traveler entering or exiting Lagos by road.
“This initiative is a commitment to the safety and comfort of every traveller who enters or exits Lagos by road,” Osiyemi said, emphasizing that the project aims to standardize interstate parks across the state and digitize the passenger manifest system.
The project comprises two main components: *Interstate Park Accreditation* and the *Digital Passenger Manifest System*.
Osiyemi explained that the *Interstate Park Accreditation* will require all interstate parks in Lagos to undergo an accreditation process. Parks that meet the safety and service standards set by the Ministry of Transportation will be officially certified.
Accredited parks will be easily identifiable by distinctive signage, assuring travelers that they are boarding from a secure and regulated facility.
“These accredited parks will display distinctive signage, reassuring travellers that they are boarding from a secure and regulated facility. Unregulated, roadside ‘mushroom’ parks will be required to meet specific standards or make necessary improvements to operate,” Osiyemi stated.
The second component of the initiative, the *Digital Passenger Manifest System*, involves transitioning from a paper-based system to a fully digital platform. This will enable real-time capture and secure storage of passenger data, providing immediate access to accurate information in case of incidents. This, Osiyemi noted, would empower emergency responders with critical information for swift action.
“By moving to a digital platform, we will have real-time access to passenger information in case of incidents, empowering emergency responders with critical information for quick intervention,” Osiyemi explained.
The Commissioner also assured that established parks with existing systems would be integrated into the state’s centralized platform. He emphasized that the initiative would give Lagosians the confidence to travel, enhance the credibility of park operators, and set new standards for modern, efficient transportation systems in Lagos.
Hon. Sola Giwa, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, also highlighted the initiative’s alignment with the state’s goals to ensure safety, improve planning, and better manage the flow of people into and out of Lagos.
“The initiative is designed to ensure the safety and protection of Lagosians, while also enabling the state to better plan for the flow of people entering and exiting Lagos,” Giwa stated. He further assured that the standardized format for parks would ensure good sanitation, effective security, and a drug-free environment at all accredited parks.
Lagos,
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The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Olawale Musa, noted that the state of interstate parks in Lagos requires significant improvement and reorganization. He also reassured the public that the government would adhere to data protection laws, ensuring that all passenger information shared with the state would be kept confidential.
“Any passenger information shared with the state will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed publicly,” Musa affirmed.
Mr. Olamide Afolabi, Managing Director of Touch and Pay (TAP) Technologies, the company implementing the project, explained that agents at accredited parks would collect manifests and digitize them by verifying passengers’ phone numbers and National Identification Numbers (NIN).
Afolabi also detailed how the collected data would be linked to the motor parks, vehicle plate numbers, and the driver’s identity through a unique code. This information will be connected to the Ministry of Transportation’s database, facilitating improved regulation of the interstate transport system. He further mentioned that the initiative would help phase out unregulated “mushroom” motor parks that have been a source of concern for safety.
“The initiative will help the government phase out unregulated ‘mushroom’ motor parks that have been posing threats to lives and property,” Afolabi added.
Comrade Usman Teslim, the State Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), praised the Lagos State Government for its forward-thinking approach and the successful collaboration between the Ministry, the consulting firm, and NURTW in making the transition from an analog to a digital platform possible.
The launch event was attended by other transport union members and key stakeholders in the transportation sector.
This initiative marks a significant step toward modernizing Lagos’ transportation system, promoting safety, and improving the experience of travelers.
