Cowry Card has processed more than 19 million trips within Lagos State’s regulated transport ecosystem since January 2026, according to Olamide Afolabi, Managing Director of Touch and Pay Technologies, which operates the Cowry Card infrastructure.

Afolabi made the disclosure during a LAMATA X Space session held to address public concerns ahead of what is being described as the strictest enforcement of Lagos’ cashless transit policy so far. Lagos State is scheduled to begin prosecuting commuters who pay cash for BRT and rail services from August 1.

The 19 million-trip figure shows the system is already in active use across parts of the state’s transport network. The August 1 directive does not introduce a new payment technology; rather, it makes an existing one compulsory and removes cash as an option, placing the focus on compliance rather than rollout.

Under the new directive, commuters who attempt to pay cash on the BRT, Bus Reform Initiative, and Lagos Rail Mass Transit services may face arrest and prosecution. Until now, enforcement had focused on operators and ticketing staff who collected cash outside the approved system.

That is expected to change in four days.

A common concern among commuters is that agents may manipulate top-ups or create confusion at terminals in order to extract extra money from users. Afolabi said commuters can avoid that risk by topping up their Cowry Cards directly through the app or at self-service terminals, without going through an agent.

He added that this option has always been available and said the enforcement deadline is a strong reason for commuters to begin using it. For a system moving from optional adoption to stricter enforcement, the practical issue for riders is less about availability than whether they can access and use the approved channels in time.

The consequences are also serious on the operator side. Adekunle Tajudeen, Managing Director of Teejay Motors, one of the BRT operators, said it is a criminal offence for a driver, referred to in the system as a “captain,” to allow cash payments or pocket fares. He said captains have been formally notified and will be arrested if they find ways to divert funds from passengers.

Tajudeen cited a recent case in Oshodi in which a driver carried a full bus of passengers and collected fares into his personal bank account instead of routing the money through the approved system. He said the driver is now on the run.

The enforcement, therefore, is aimed not only at commuters but at every part of the payment chain, and LAMATA has said it intends to carry it through. That makes the August 1 date a test of how uniformly the policy will be applied across terminals, operators, and riders.

For Lagos commuters who have continued paying cash out of habit, convenience, or because they were never stopped, the time to get a Cowry Card is now very short. Cards can be obtained and topped up at BRT terminals, select agent locations, self-service kiosks, or directly through the app.

LAMATA has not announced any grace period.

Also read: Lagos to prosecute BRT, train commuters paying cash from August 1

Also read: Nigerian fintech TAP’s Cowry cards to be used for new Lagos Blue Rail line

Source: https://x.com/Lamataonline/status/2082103440948256908?s=20