Lagos is one of the most mobile cities in Africa, yet much of its daily movement remains inefficient. Millions of commuters travel the same routes every morning and evening, often at the same time, while private cars move through the city with empty seats and rising fuel costs.

LincRide, a new Lagos-based carpooling platform, is entering the market to address this gap by matching people already going in the same direction and enabling them to share rides and costs. Rather than creating new trips, the platform focuses on optimizing trips that already exist.

Solving an efficiency problem, not creating another app

Unlike traditional ride-hailing services that rely on on-demand pickups and variable pricing, LincRide is designed around predictable, repeat routes. Users input where they are going and when, and the platform matches them with others traveling along similar paths.

For passengers, this means access to more affordable transport options for familiar routes. For car owners, it means the ability to earn from empty seats on journeys they already take, helping offset fuel and maintenance costs without changing their routine.

“Movement in Lagos is largely habitual,” Kehinde Akinkunmi, Head of Brand & Marketing explains. “People go to work, school, and social commitments along the same corridors every day. LincRide is built around that behavior.”

Visibility and control built into the experience

A core part of LincRide’s product design is giving users clarity before they commit to a ride. Both passengers and drivers can view profiles, route alignment, and ratings ahead of time, allowing them to decide who they are comfortable sharing a journey with.

Drivers also retain control over their trips, including who joins their ride and how many seats they make available. Payments are handled within the app, reducing the need for cash exchanges and simplifying the overall process.

This emphasis on visibility and choice is intended to make shared rides feel less transactional and more aligned with how people already move around the city.

Affordability without price games

One of the major frustrations for Lagos commuters is pricing unpredictability. LincRide takes a different approach by allowing trip costs to be shared among riders heading in the same direction, rather than calculated through surge-based models.

For passengers, the benefit is clearer expectations around what a trip will cost. For drivers, earnings are tied directly to routes they already drive, rather than additional hours on the road.

The platform does not position itself as a replacement for taxis or ride-hailing services, but as a complementary option for everyday movement where routes overlap.

Built for real lagos movement

LincRide’s launch strategy is rooted in real-life usage. Early campaigns focus on everyday commuters documenting how they use the app in normal situations: going to work, heading home, or running routine errands.

By centering the product around familiar routes and behaviors, LincRide aims to scale through practicality rather than hype.

“LincRide isn’t about creating new trips and increasing vehicles on the road; it’s about optimizing the trips people already make. We’re building a system where trust, transparency, community and shared value are non-negotiable,” says Samuel Akosile, CTO

As Lagos continues to grow and transportation costs rise, solutions that maximize existing resources may become increasingly important. LincRide is betting that shared movement, when

designed around predictability and user control, can play a meaningful role in how the city moves.

The platform is now live and onboarding users across Lagos, with plans to expand features based on commuting patterns and user feedback.