👨🏿‍🚀TechCabal Daily – Cape Verde dreams in code

With a fleet of 60 pickup trucks and 30 SUVs, the Ebonyi State government launched EBOCAB, a ride-hailing platform to provide smart and affordable transportation alternatives for its people. 

The big idea: EBOCAB was launched to cut down on crime, generate revenue, and provide new streams of employment for the youth. The service,which can be accessed through a mobile app, connects users with drivers round the clock. With its corporate headquarters in Abakiliki , this platform will serve commuters within and around Ebonyi’s airport, international market, and other corners of the state.

What’s driving this move? Ebonyi State, with a population of over 3 million people, has an informal inter-city transport system. The roads are dominated by tricycles, motorcycles, and mini-danfo buses. These transport systems are often seen, by many commuters, as the cheaper alternative to available e-hailing services like Bolt or InDrive. However, they are plagued with safety issues, including theft, intimidation of commuters and harassment. 

With the launch of this safe and regulated taxi service, the government hopes to provide comfort and security to commuters within the state.

Ebonyi’s not exactly breaking new ground here. In 2022, Lagos State launched its ride-hailing service, LagosRide (aka Lagride) on similar promise. The ride-hailing model enabled drivers to become vehicle owners after four years on a hire-purchase plan. However, LagRide drivers repeatedly complained about high repayment rates. In response, the Lagos state government transferred operational control of the ride-hailing service to CIG Motors, replacing the “drive-to-own” scheme with a salaried employment model for drivers.

Fuel for thought: can EBOCAB go the distance and avoid the Lagride trap? Or will it find itself abandoned, like many once-ambitious state-led projects?