Passengers on inter-state trips through commercial buses across Nigeria are usually required to provide their names and other relevant details at the bus stations.
Unknown to those who refused to comply with the bus park officials’ directive on this matter, there are several benefits accrued to it.
In order to move with the pace of development, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has decided to digitalise passengers’ information and provide insurance cover for them (passengers).
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NURTW signed a partnership with Universal Insurance so as to measure the effectiveness of the insurance cover. According to a publication on the website of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the insurance partnership was initiated for the Passengers Manifest Scheme (PAMS) of commercial bus drivers.
NURTW began to ask passengers to register their personal details over eight years ago. The transportation body initiated the Vehicle Passenger Manifest, titled National Road Traffic Regulation Reg 51. The purpose of the Manifest is to know the numbers of passengers on board in case of an unexpected incident.
The details filled in the form are handed over to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) during road trips. However, not all bus drivers comply with this rule and some passengers usually refuse to fill the form. So, in order to ensure compliance, NURTW is going digital in order to enable them to track defaulters.
Insurance cover: Apart from the digital innovation, the insurance partnership with Universal Insurance will provide the following to passengers and relatives in case of sudden events.
- In the case of accidents, passengers will be treated by the nearest hospitals without wasting time. The hospital bills will be paid by the company.
- In the case of permanent damage to the body, the passenger will be compensated.
- For untimely death, the passenger’s relatives will be contacted and compensated.
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Any passenger who refuses to fill in his or her details will be forced to alight from the bus irrespective of the distance. This directive is usually given by road officials when they detect that the names of the passengers on the form are less than the number of passengers on board.
Also, any driver who fails to comply with the PMS directive will be arraigned before a Magistrate Court or asked to pay a fine of N5,000.
Note: Other partners involved in the Passengers Manifest Scheme are Silvernest Healthcare, Wifisift Technology and Data-Plus.
