An IT expert and journalist, Abdulganiyu Alabi, says he designed an e-ticketing application to enable online booking for the Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge train services.
Alabi, who is a correspondent with the Guardian newspaper in Kaduna, said the app is called ‘Trainwise’ and that people can book for a train trip using their mobile phones.
He said the app will help to checkmate ticket racketeering and relieve train users the stress of queuing under the scorching sun for hours before obtaining a ticket.
He added that the app will help train stations to automate the booking process and make them more transparent to customers.
“You can book for train at home or anywhere at the stipulated time and the moment you reach the station, all you need to do is to show the ticket you purchased to an attendant for QR code scanning and they will allow you in and there is no way you can enter with fake ticket because the QR scanner captures all your bio data.”
The IT enthusiast, however, urged the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to adopt the app, saying it can solve about 80 per cent of problems faced at the stations.
Alabi said he was able to build the app, following his desire to solve numerous challenges encountered by train users with his technological know-how.
“I have joined other journalists to report happenings at the stations and I felt I can solve this problem with my computer knowledge. I can guarantee that if the app is adopted by the government, the users will enjoy it,” he said.
He said he learned the skills from a Port Harcourt-based tech expert, and practiced to develop the app.
