OTrike was a tricycle hailing service available in the popular OPay App in Nigeria. The tricycle hailing service was available in cities like Enugu, Kano, and Aba. OTrike was a sub-service in the OPay app and offers you your first month’s trips at a discount.
The service was launched in Aba and Kano, showing the determination level of OPay to solve people’s transportation needs even after launching ORide some months ago. Users can order this on-demand tricycle hailing service at the comfort of their homes to their destination in a secure, orderly and fast fashion. The tricycle hailing service has now been shutdown in Nigeria.
OTrike created job opportunities, just like the employment opportunities its other sub -services like ORide, OBus and the rest have created. How does it solve the employment opportunity problem? They are solving this problem by recruiting more riders of these tricycles.
According to a review of OTrike’s services we read on their Google Play page, OTrike offers far more reliable services than its other ride hailing sub-services.
This is probably because the convenience that the three-sitter at the back offers, this means there’s no room for jam-packing.
OTrike users can download the OPay app on Android. It uses the widely known means of transportation known as Keke Napep in Nigeria.
The tricycle hailing service is available in Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Ibadan, and Aba. OTrike drivers are doing their best to offer their best service at minimum costs.
The service is suitable for middle-class Nigerians who can’t afford to board local transport as it reduces their money costs and saves them money.
The tricycle hailing service offers a very fast service which requires tech literacy, compatible smartphone and a valid internet coverage that the average Nigerian cannot resist.
Even though it has just been recently launched, OTrike is attracting the country’s attention and gaining popularity in Nigeria because major cities like Enugu, Kano and Aba are gradually making good use of the service.
It’s more like the ORide service (in fact the terms and condition is the same), you can book your ride with the OPay app which makes it very convenient and less stressful for people to use.
Last year, this great app also launched in Enugu gaining full support from the Enugu government. The Enugu government has also assisted the tricycle hailing service by gladly giving these tricycles security numbers.
You may also be interested on How to Open an OPay Account.
How to use OTrike
Here are some guidelines or steps to take to navigate the OPay app to use the OTrike service
1. Download the OPay App: Firstly, if you don’t have the OPay app, download the app. It’s available on app store on Android (Play Store) and iOS (Apple Store).
2. Signup for OPay: After downloading, you sign up on your OPay account. You will be asked to provide your email address and your phone number which will be verified. The phone number must be working as you will need it when you want to order a ride. You input your email, phone number where necessary.
3. Verify your Phone Number: You will receive a one-time password (OTP) to verify your phone number and a link for the confirmation will be sent to the provided email address for verification purposes and for receiving your order payment receipts.
4. Subscribe to OTrike: Once verification is complete, you will see the OPay dashboard, where you will see OTrike as an option if the tricycle hailing service is available in your location.
Tap the Otrike icon and accept the terms and conditions by tapping the AGREE button to subscribe to the ride hailing service. You now see a map of your location with nearby tricycles in view.
5. Confirm your Pickup Location: After funding your OPay wallet when you sign up, you click on the OTrike icon. Then you’ll be redirected to a map screen. You need to confirm that the pickup location is valid and accurate to prevent problems of misleading your order or rider.
6. Select your Destination: When you select your pickup point, you select your drop off point as well.
7. Select Type of Service: After you must have chosen your destination’s address, you select the type of service that you want that is, either single, two person or charter.
8. Request a Rider: Tap the ‘Request a Ride’ button to hail a rider.
9: Verify Trip Detail: When the rider arrives verify that they are the one you ordered. Ensure the location and destination as well as payment information are accurate.
10: Start the Trip: Enjoy the ride
11: Make Payment: When you successfully get to your destination. You can pay using fund in your OPay balance.
12: Rate your Rider: Rate your rider to help other commuters.
Just like ORide, OTrike alerts the driver that is closest to your pickup destination. Then if the driver accepts your ride, you wait for his arrival.
When he arrives, you ask if he is the driver and you begin the ride. Although, OPay hasn’t announced that OTrike will move to other cities in Nigeria yet, but it is likely.
If OTrike moves to other cities, it will make transportation convenient and a lot easier and affordable for the average Nigerian.
OTrike will be working with present tricycle drivers and has partnered with the Keke Driver’s Association in Aba. Here, the standard of living increases as these tricycle riders who don’t make enough money, can now start making thousands of Naira with their rides.
These tricycles are popularly known as Keke Maruwa in Lagos State and other south western states. OTrike also aims at making commercial activities easier for people to carry out because it has begun its activities in Kano which is Nigerian’s second biggest city by population, hereby making it more popular as people move about looking for cheaper and more comfortable means of transportation.
This tricycle hailing service is only used for transporting people unlike the local tricycle that transports goods and people together. This makes OTrike faster and better compared to the local tricycles.
Luckily, in the South West, the tricycle hailing service has also been launched in Ibadan. Just like ORide which is another entirely desirable option for transport.
Also, because of the fear of bike-related accidents, people continue looking for safer and less expensive means to get from one place to another which is where the purpose of OTrike comes in.
Let’s not forget its discounted prices of transport. With just 100 Naira, OTrike drivers can take you anywhere and the fees generally do not exceed the sum of 1000 Naira depending on where you are going and this is good.
OTrike promises to ease the stress of transportation which we agree that they are doing a good job at. In order to prevent any form of trouble with security officers, OTrike drivers have been mandated to get their own security number.
Also see OWealth a savings solution from OPay.
How to Become an OTrike Rider
Becoming a driver is not hard, as long as you have an internet-enabled phone and you have the technical know-how of a smartphone, you are good to go.
You might have to visit the official OPay website, then go to the OTrike section of the site and follow the instructions to be an OTrike rider.
