Skip to main content

IBM advises Lagos on future transportation system to aid growth

A team of IBM experts completing a month-long pro bono consulting assignment has presented recommendations to Nigeria's Lagos State Government to ensure that private traffic and public transportation flows more efficiently in Africa's most populous city, Lagos. Working with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority and the Lagos State Ministries of Transportation, Works and Infrastructure, Science and Technology, the IBM team of experts proposed technology-driven strategies to make travel easier.
June 17, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A team of 62 IBM experts completing a month-long pro bono consulting assignment has presented recommendations to Nigeria's Lagos State Government to ensure that private traffic and public transportation flows more efficiently in Africa's most populous city, Lagos.

Working with the 7133 Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority and the Lagos State Ministries of Transportation, Works and Infrastructure, Science and Technology, the IBM team of experts proposed technology-driven strategies to make travel easier.

The recommendations included better coordination between agencies responsible for traffic management, police, fire and medical care to provide more accurate and up-to-date information to help transport management agencies better manage the city's traffic flow.

Also on the list of suggestions was a single, integrated e-ticketing system for all modes of transportation, similar to New York City's Metro Card or London's Oyster card system, and integrated fare management. The introduction of roadway toll rates based on traffic density was proposed to encourage the use of public transportation. The state was also advised to create a single platform for all its traffic and transportation-related data so each agency and mode of transport is integrated, helping passengers interconnect seamlessly.

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola said: "The need to deploy innovative approaches that address civic challenges in Lagos State has never been greater. Technology is the key to the future, and we welcome IBM's support in this regard."

The team's recommendations took advantage of existing infrastructure, and suggested ways that projects could be self-funded.

"IBM's set of recommendations address our key transportation challenges and clearly enhance our ongoing efforts to fix the myriad of issues faced by our fast developing state," said Kayode Opeifa, Lagos State commissioner for transport. Further confirming this point of view, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Lagos state commissioner for works and infrastructure, said the state's "blueprint for transforming our struggling infrastructure into a modern ecosystem driven by data intelligence and efficient resource management has been further authenticated by these set of recommendations from IBM."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • More openness - the simple answer to transport's data issues
    October 22, 2018
    Public transit agencies create a lot of data – but using it constructively to solve transportation issues has been a problem. Ben Winokur and Luke Segars think they have the answer: greater openness. Today, more people are connected through smartphones than ever before - and they’re using them for more than texting and calling. People are searching for jobs on their devices, dating, shopping and even managing their finances. But Forbes reports that only a select few companies leverage all the technology at
  • Gauteng to review e-tolls
    June 30, 2014
    The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) in South Africa is to set up a panel to review the impact of e-tolls and invite new proposals on how it can find a lasting solution. Premier David Makhura announced the move during his State of the Province Address, saying the GPG will work with national government, municipalities and all sectors of society on the issue. “While we shall not promise easy solutions and claim easy victories, we must make it clear that we cannot close our eyes to cries of sectors of
  • Detection analysis technology successfully predicts traffic flows
    February 3, 2012
    David Crawford investigates new detection analysis technology from IBM. Locations on both the East and West Coasts of the US are scheduled for early deployments of IBM's new Traffic Prediction Tool (TPT) statistical analysis model for the fine-time resolution and near-term prediction of road flow conditions. Developed by IBM's Watson Research Laboratories, TPT is designed to analyse data from the the key detection indicators - average vehicle volumes and speeds passing a location in a given time interval -
  • Muvo e-ticketing card launched in South Africa
    September 10, 2012
    The successful launch of the Muvo SmartCard marks the beginning of the modern era of e-ticketing in the Durban region in South Africa. The Muvo card replaces ordinary tickets and functions as a kind of electronic wallet, allowing cash or ticket products to be loaded on to it at electronic terminals. As part of the new infrastructure, the eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) purchased the Almex Electronic Fare Collection system with ticket printer from German manufacturer Hoeft & Wessel. The system has been