In an effort to ease commuters’ transportation stress and riders’ plights in Adamawa, the state government, in conjunction with P-GAT Industries Ltd, has deepened the implementation of its ATRaS Mobility Ecosystem in the state.
P-GAT, in a statement, said the company, through partnership with Adamawa State Government, has targeted 2,000 fuel-powered tricycle riders and the recruitment of up to 500 agents in the next phase of the programme.
The statement, signed by Mr Timothy Prime and made available to newsmen, said “the initiative is designed to tackle rising transportation costs by reducing the operating expenses of tricycle operators while improving the affordability and efficiency of transportation services for commuters”.
Noting that under the ATRaS 2,000 Rider Relief and Welfare Support Programme, participating tricycle riders will be eligible for up to 50 per cent fuel subsidy, alongside health and medical support, repair and maintenance assistance, welfare benefits, education and career development opportunities, and other benefits within the ATRaS ecosystem.
“Also 500 ATRaS Agents will be recruited to support rider and customer registration, onboarding, product distribution and community mobilisation across the three locations”.
According to P-GAT, the agents will serve as a link between riders, commuters and the wider ATRaS Mobility Ecosystem as the programme expands into daily operations, stressing that riders do not need to own electric tricycles to participate, as existing fuel-powered tricycles can serve as an entry point into the ecosystem.
P-GAT maintained that addressing transportation costs requires tackling the factors that drive the cost of operating mobility services, including fuel and maintenance expenses, rather than simply asking operators to reduce fares.
P-GAT described its partnership with Adamawa State Government as an important starting point of ATRaS implementation, noting that its long-term vision is to expand the ecosystem across Northeast Nigeria and other parts of the country.