Lagos, Nigeria, May 26, 2020. The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has commended the Simba Group for the innovative design and development of the Simba Safety Shield for use on tricycles (popularly known as Keke). .
The shield, which is a combination of both a transparent screen separating the rider and passenger cabins of a Keke, as well as a transparent barrier in between the rear passengers, was developed in direct response to the call for greater social distancing amid the current Covid-19 crisis.
The Director General of NADDC, Mr. Jelani Aliyu, said “This is truly an excellent innovation for use in tricycles, which are used across the country for essential point-to-point transportation. We really appreciate that this safety device has been 100 percent designed and developed in Nigeria, keeping in mind the safety of commuters and the riders of tricycles. Kudos to Simba TVS for doing this.”
The Simba Safety Shield, which was launched earlier this month, has been widely praised for protecting against the spread of coronavirus in public transport. Kekes already have an advantage that they carry fewer passengers, and have good cross ventilation, but this shield increases the safety even further.
A statement from the Simba Group, who distributed the leading Keke brand in Nigeria, the TVS King, said “At Simba TVS, we have always invested in R&D, to develop locally-relevant and innovative solutions to the unique challenges faced by Nigerian commuters. These are certainly unique times, and we are particularly proud that our engineering team has designed, developed and deployed the Simba Safety Shield in rapid response to the current Covid-19 crisis. .
Ever since we launched the Shield a few weeks ago, there has been a tremendous interest from Keke riders, and passengers alike. With more and more passengers choosing Kekes in these times of social distancing, it was important that we give them further confidence during their commute”.
