Why I choose to be an Independent Bike Service Reviewer
Olanrewaju Oyinbooke
Program Manager | Data, AI, Automation | Microsoft MVP | NSBE President, UALR Chapter
In my last post, I talked extensively on the Lagos transportation Wahala, I also raised a question as to what practical steps can be taken to address this problem.
I looked inward and realized that there are some individuals or group of people who have created service around this problem and to a very large extent have helped to provide alternatives.
The Lagos Bike Service
If you've ever had a ride with MaxOkada or GoKada, you will agree with me the magic of travelling with time. You will feel the life you really want to live in Lagos (few minutes on the road and you're at your final destination). This is a proactive way of providing the anticipated better life for Lagosians.
In my next article, I will write about my first GoKada experience.
I took a careful look at the bike service in Nigeria and realized that for several years, there's been no growth in that space, it's more of inventive and not innovative space (permit me to quote Ndubuisi Ekekwe analogue about the #growthofnations).
However, in the recent years with the emergence of MaxOkada - the first in the industry, and GoKada, the narrative about ride service changed completely.
The fear for many is safety which we believe the common okada riders doesn't care so much about. At a time, Lagos state even made helmet compulsory for riders but where are we today? Nobody remembers anymore.
These ride service providers have a compelling value proposition that speaks directly to the emotions of the customers. They've saved a lot of Nigerians time hence have helped many to meet up with their flight, secure business deal by getting to the venue on time, avoid late resumption of duty at work etc.
As against random bike riders, these are professionals - well trained with standard bike and complete kit for a successful ride experience.
From my first ride experience till now, I've revalidated the value delivered by these beautiful minds.
Since, I'm not a co-founder of GoKada, MaxOkada, Easy mobility, Ugo Service, XGo etc, what can I do to help people live a better life especially around the transportation problem in Lagos. So, I decided to be an independent reviewer - providing constructive feedback based on customer experience analysis. This way I can help the bike space to deliver more customer-centric services beyond the fare calculator and request a ride feature.
Thank you for your time, more interesting and feature post to follow.
Kindly comment, what can you do to help this space?
I will suggest, PATRONIZE THEM
Data Scientist || Credit & Fraud Risk || Data Analyst || Fraud Analytics
5 年Thanks Ola for providing a very succinct and fleshy review of this form of transport services. I am keen you are reviewing this sector.? I used the @GoKada services few days back, and I can tell the experience was super. Not because it afforded me the opportunity to meet my meeting few minutes away but it helped bye-passed a possible 3 hours traffic.?
Senior Software Developer || C# || .NET Core || Azure || SQL Server || Backend-Leaning || Collaborative Innovator
5 年Ola olokada... Nice one bro, you have spoken well and I am always glad I know you due to your constant thirst for innovation and a rare knack for excellence. Bikes are a good alternative in cities across the world, we even have e-bikes in some cities which are eco-friendly and powered by solar. I spent about 4 months in India a couple of years back, a lot of families owned bikes, on a normal day in Chennai, you will find more bikes on the road than cars. Students in Madras Chritian College, Chennai which was close to where I was taking my Java EE class had bikes, even the school had parking space for bikes and it was always filled up. I believe @MaxOkada and @GoKada are the beginning of a transformation in that sector, more players would get into that space and it will really ease the road traffic in lagos. Maybe we can even co-own a bike startup someday :)