
A representational image of a person using his cellphone for a digital transaction. — Pexels/File
#Cashless #card #payments #public #transport #Lagos #commuters #dont #trust #technology
Public transport is a life blood of cities in many countries, which transmits millions of people daily to work, school and essential services. But paying it in cash is not effective. Long queues, fare disputes, revenue leakage and increasing operational costs plague the cash -based transport system.
Payment technologies without contact, where passenger cards or mobile devices are tapped, offer a potential solution. They are widely used in developed countries, but adopting in developing economies has been slowly and more complicated. There have been challenges to infrastructure limits, financial emissions and consumer doubts. Similarly, there is also the integration of informal transport sectors.
However, some cities have decided to modernize their transport system. For example, Lagos in Nigeria introduced Corey Card in 2020, aimed at replacing cash on public buses. In Rwanda, with the Kagali app or top ups through agents, the cashless uses the tape and go card for travel. Cape Town in South Africa has a michate card, which smooth payments and reduces the row.
These steps show the capacity of the contactless system, but they also highlight the obstacles that remain. Incredible Internet access, repeated technical defects, the permanent priority of cash in many passengers and the existence of informal transport operators are some of them. In developing countries, it is very important to find a way about these challenges for the construction of effective, accessible and financially sustainable public transport system.
My research is sitting at the intersection of digital changes, transportation service marketing and consumer behavior, with focusing on emerging economies. I have studied the adoption of digital financial technologies, especially the way they can be used in public transport, bring about change.
In a recent study, I investigated the complex dynamics of adopting contact lace payments in Lagos. This study found how users are busy with these systems and indicate obstacles to broader adoption. It also reviewed the rule of transport payment data. My results confirmed that when the interest in contract lace cards is increasing, people still prefer cash, especially out of the formal bus rapid transport system in Lagos.
City transport planners should note that these results include the need for hybrid payment options.
Transport to Lagos
This research uses ethnic graphic fieldwork, passenger interviews and emotional analysis to assess consumer behavior about content -lasted transport payments. For more than 18 months, we witnessed the passengers’ conversations with the Corey Card system and interviewed to discover the adoption patterns, the benefits and the basic obstacles. This research discovered the original engagement and later connection, from preliminary awareness and consideration, until the diagnosis of the adoption, the adoption stages were detected. This approach provided the insights of psychological, social and economic factors that affect the payment method priorities.
The results show that only 15 % of the passengers are fully engaged with the Cory Card system. This small but growing group is mainly comprised of early adoptions, tech boyfriends and regular bus users. These are the people who use the Contact Lace Payment option permanently as part of their daily journey.
Low digital literacy and access to limited smartphone are the main obstacles. Many passengers have the skills and resources to use the digital payment system effectively.
Comm to use the Corey System, passengers should first buy a physical card and download the Corey app on the smartphone. They can then uphold the card by using bank cards, mobile items or visiting the kiosk at bus stops. The card can be tapped on the entry points on board buses, or by scanning the QR code or inserting a bus code through the app. This system depends on access to smartphones, digital payment methods and basic tech literacy factors.
There are about 170 170 million mobile subscriptions in Nigeria, but currently, only 10 % of the population and a smartphone are used. In addition, 60 % of the 2024 was disconnected. Those factors limit the potential access to digital solution.
Financial technology providers have distrust about the dissatisfaction and system failures, hidden fees or fraudulent adaptation. Passengers are cautious of digital transactions. The lack of a clear dispute mechanism increases these concerns.
There are also concerns about data privacy and security. Many people are well aware of the dangers, even though they do not fully understand the technical details. Their caution roots are rooted in the scams, the distrust of government systems, and living experiences with fear of surveillance. Passengers are often reluctant to connect their bank cards or mobile wallets to another app, worrying about who is detecting their movement through their tape and tape out data. There is a common doubt that sharing personal information can expose them with fraud or unwanted surveillance. For many people, cash payment seems safer.
As a respondent said: They know that when I enter and leave. What else are they seeing?
Although Nigeria now has the official law of data protection (Nigeria Data Protection Act), the system is still developed in terms of implementation, public awareness and institutional capacity.
Connecting informal transport operators, who only work on cash, operate in the digital ecosystem. They are considered to be considered to be overcome by fees, technical complications, and if they adopt digital payments.
Digital infrastructure limits, including complex Internet and incredible mobile networks, make the transition more complicated. Although there are cards in the bus terminals, they are not always easy or operational. A respondent gave him this way:
Sometimes the card doesn’t work, the network is bad, and you are just stuck there. Cash does not fail like this.
Although interest in contract lace cards is increasing, passengers see cash and straightforward cash in a particularly high -speeding culture. As a respondent said: I am accustomed to taking cash, it’s easy for me. I just enter, pay, pay, and go.
The way forward
Contact lace payment offers many benefits. They promote financial inclusion, which provide entry points to digital banking for without bonds. Transportation data can revolutionize urban transportation, which enables routes, sheep and infrastructure data -powered data. But there should be clear data protection policies to increase public confidence.
A multi -faceted strategy is essential: public awareness campaigns: teach passengers about the benefits and security of digital payments, deal with misunderstandings and increase confidence.
Improvement in Infrastructure: Expand options without contact in all methods of transportation.
Data Protection Policy: Establish clear rules for data ownership, use and access. This will increase privacy and improve public confidence.
Public Private Partnership: Promote cooperation to create a cheap, user -friendly system, demand mastery from both fields. Successful projects like South Korea’s T -Money System offer useful lessons.