The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority has announced that full enforcement of its cashless fare payment policy will begin on August 1, warning commuters who pay cash for rides on regulated public transport services that they may face penalties.
The authority said the enforcement is designed to strengthen accountability, improve transparency and ensure compliance with electronic payment systems across Lagos’ regulated transport network.
As reported by Daily Post on Wednesday, LAMATA disclosed this during an X Space discussion with transport stakeholders and industry leaders titled “Lagos Cashless Transit: What Aug. 1 Enforcement Means to You.”
The agency’s Head of Legal, Idris Akinola, said existing Lagos State regulations require passengers using regulated public transport services to pay fares through the approved electronic payment platform, the Cowry Card.
Akinola explained that both commuters who offer cash payments and operators who accept them could be held responsible under the law, adding that unauthorized cash transactions may be treated as offences.
He urged transport operators to ensure their drivers and conductors comply with the policy, carry out internal checks and cooperate with LAMATA officials during enforcement exercises.
Akinola warned that offenders convicted under the relevant laws could face serious penalties, including up to seven years’ imprisonment.
Managing Director of Teejay Motors, Adekunle Tajudeen, said the company had trained its drivers and boarding officers ahead of the enforcement, instructing them not to accept cash payments from passengers.
He said some drivers had previously been arrested and jailed for collecting cash fares, adding that passengers also contribute to the problem by offering cash instead of using the approved payment system.
Tajudeen said the company had increased its fleet and recruited additional drivers to prevent disruptions if non-compliant workers are removed from operations.
Transport and urban mobility expert Adepoju Fawokon said previous enforcement efforts focused mainly on drivers had not achieved the desired results, stressing that both parties involved in cash transactions must be held accountable.
He said the goal of the policy is to reduce revenue leakage and protect the sustainability of Lagos’ regulated public transport system.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of Touch and Pay Technologies, Olamide Afolabi, said measures had been introduced to address complaints about incorrect Cowry Card top-ups.
He said new tools, including the Carry Hub platform, a mobile application and self-service top-up kiosks at bus and rail terminals, would help commuters monitor balances, review transactions and fund their cards more easily.
Afolabi added that a postpaid and single-card payment system is expected to be expanded before the end of the year, allowing users to make online top-ups that can be accessed instantly without first transferring funds to a physical card.
Punch