Uber is now piloting a boat service in one of the world’s busiest cities to attract commuters desperate to avoid its notoriously congested roads.
Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, is home to some 20 million people and is built on a lagoon.
The sprawling city counts a number of neighbourhoods on stilts including the famous floating slum, Makoko.
The ride-hailing company said its new waterway service, UberBOAT, is operated in partnership with a local ferry firm and state authorities.
Passengers will be charged 500 naira (£1.09) per trip, compared with about 300 naira by minibus for a similar journey in the city.
The minimum wage in Nigeria was recently increased to around 1000 naira (£2.18) a day from about 600 naira (£1.31).
The two-week pilot will see four trips a day on a fixed route between two locations in the city, carrying up to 35 people on each boat.
Users will need to book 24 hours in advance through the Uber app.
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Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the use of waterways were part of a raft of measures aimed at easing the city’s infamous congestion, including major road repairs.
One man tweeted: ‘I have been waiting for this to happen. If government cannot improve on water transportation private sector should make it work.’
A number of motorbike ride-hailing firms have expanded in West Africa in the past few months, following success in North Africa and Southeast Asia, which is home to its fair share of congested megacities.
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