OBus comes not too long after it launched OTrike (a tricycle-hailing service) and it joins the list of services offered by the company to solve transportation challenges in the country’s commercial capital (Lagos) and other cities in the country. With OBus, the company seems to be on its way to complete market dominance in multiple verticals and being the go-to platform for quite a number of services in Nigeria. OBus is currently in its Beta phase and as such is only available in few locations in Lagos state. For a start, Opera will use branded buses to provide only intra-state commute services to customers within Lagos state. Should everything work out smoothly, expansion to other states will definitely happen. OBus, like all other Opera-backed services, has been incorporated into the OPay app. Riders will only be able to order buses within the OPay app and will be able to make payments using their OPay wallet balance. Riders will also be able to pay for trips using an “OBus card” which can be purchased offline from OPay agents at designated bus stations. The OBus card comes in different denominations and during bus trips, the card will be scanned by a sensor (which reads the ticket barcode on your OPay app) inside the OBuses and fare deduction will be made from the card. OBus is another great step in the right direction in Opera’s plan of becoming a force in the Nigeria commercial-tech space. With about five services (OPay, OBus, ORide, OTrike, and OList) within the space of a year, one can only but wonder what line of service the Norway-based company will pivot into and the next product to expect given how heavily-funded it is.
