Lagos offers police officers free transport for three months, plans permanent 50% discount after

• Lagos has given 2,000 police officers Cowry Cards for unlimited free transport across selected services for three months.

• Officers can use the cards on the Blue and Red Line trains, BRT services and electric water boats.

• The state has proposed a 50% fare discount for police officers after the free period ends.

The Lagos State Government has handed over 2,000 Cowry Cards to police officers, giving them unlimited free access to the state's integrated transport network for three months, with a 50 per cent permanent fare discount proposed once the complimentary period ends.

The cards were formally presented to AIG Simeon Akpanudom of the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Lagos, who received them on behalf of Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, at a ceremony held on Wednesday.

Officers who receive the cards will have unrestricted access to the Blue Line and Red Line rail services, electric water boats and the Bus Rapid Transit system across Lagos for the duration of the initiative.

The gesture was conceived through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Transportation Logistics and forms part of activities marking the third anniversary of the Lagos Blue Line Rail, which launched in 2022 as the first light rail system in West Africa.

ASP Aminat Mayegun, Police Public Relations Officer at the FCID Annex, confirmed the handover in a statement, describing the initiative as recognition of the contributions police officers make to public safety across the state.

Beyond the three-month window, the Lagos State Government has proposed that police officers continue to enjoy a 50 per cent fare discount on the same transport services, a commitment that would represent a more lasting benefit than the initial complimentary access.

AIG Akpanudom used the occasion to call on other state governments, corporate organisations and individuals to invest in police welfare in similar ways, arguing that a well-supported police force is better positioned to carry out its duties effectively.

The initiative adds to a growing list of welfare interventions targeted at security personnel in Lagos, as the state government continues to position its expanded transport infrastructure, which now includes rail, water and road rapid transit options, as a backbone of daily movement for residents across the metropolis.

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