O RIDE (O PAY) OR GOKADA?

ORide rider and a passenger 

Gokada,  promo picture. 

Review and commentary.
Nigeria and Nigerians have been buzzing with the latest means of transportation for some weeks now. ORide, a motorcycle taxi company launched a revolutionary motorcycle transporting business that is called ORide.

According to the company in an interview with newsmen, it said that it has invested over a billion naira in acquiring new motorcycles, hiring and training riders and logistics. The ideology behind this revolution is to provide a faster, easier and affordable means of transportation to people dwelling in the cities.

To be sure, Lagos was the main focus of this system because it is the commercial capital of Nigeria and it boasts the largest population in Nigeria (contrary to the assertion of Nigerian Population Commission). Because of this huge population, most roads in Lagos and other major cities in Nigeria like Kano, Port Harcourt and Abuja are hectic and fill with holdups on week days and even on weekends. Therefore, the company decides to step in where they feel there is a vacuum. They bought motorcycles in thousands because cars and other vehicles are clearly useless in situations where there is traffic hold up whereas someone who rides a motorcycle will experience little or no delay in the same situation.


Meanwhile, ORide is not the only company with this initiative, especially in Lagos. There is another company called Gokada in Lagos that renders the same service to the people of the city. ORide and Gokada so to say are competitors in this business.

A Gokada Rider and a passenger. 

Gokada has been established since 1st January, 2017 and servicing Lagos and its environ. It was founded by Fahim Saleh and other people with its headquarters in ilupeju, Lagos. It was reputed that Gokada raised $5.4 million in May 2019. Just like ORide, Gokada has been performing the same operation over the years.
Which Is Better Between Gokada and ORide?
People using both services are mostly satisfied with the services they render. However, there are pockets of complain against ORide. This may be caused by the fact that it is newer and yet to be properly organized like Gokada. We are yet to honestly gather enough facts and figures to decide which is better but most of the people we have talked to believe that Gokada is better than ORide because it seems to be more organized.


“I ma Ekundayo from Ibadan. ORide is okay. To me, they have been cool”

“I tried using their app earlier today after I already credited my account with them but I couldn’t get a ride because they said they had no rider around my location. That first experience isn’t nice at all, especially when they said that they are everywhere” An Anonymous person said.  

Can They Last Long?

It is hard to say. The answer to this question will be decided by a lot of factors. To start with, Nigeria is a country where people warm to new ideas and innovations, people don’t relay get themselves attached to a particular brand or product for long except products that don’t have alternative and is affordable; otherwise, when a new product comes up, people neglect what they are used to and move on.

Another factor that may determine the lifespan of these companies is the Nigerian factor. Nigerians have a reputation for finding loopholes in every situation to manipulate. For instance, a ride that has to pick up a person may decide to pick up someone else along the way and make some money by the way. It is just as simple as that. This past week, I was going somewhere and before I finally flag down a motorcycle, more than two ORide and one Gokada slowed beside me to ask if I would ride with them. Who knows if these riders were meant to pick up some people somewhere but decided to make quick cash in between?

These companies may have problem in the long run if the amount that they chat per ride is higher than what other motorcycles charge in the streets.  People naturally want cheaper things and will not hesitate to go for it when it is given as an alternative to something more expensive.

An array of  OPay  riders.