The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has reaffirmed that the use of the Cowry Card remains the approved payment method for its regulated public transport services, dismissing claims that the policy is new.
The agency’s spokesperson and Head of Corporate Communications, Kolawole Ojelabi, said over six million Cowry Cards are currently in circulation and are accepted across Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses, train stations and ferry services.
He noted that the cards are available at transport terminals, while commuters can recharge them and monitor their balances through the Cowry mobile application.
The LAMATA spokesperson also dismissed reports claiming that violators of the cashless policy risk a seven-year jail term, stressing that the agency never made such a statement.
He urged Lagos residents to report transport operators who continue to collect cash fares, assuring that the agency would investigate complaints and ensure offenders are sanctioned in accordance with the law.
