Speaking during an extensive inspection tour of ongoing projects across
the state, which lasted from morning till late in the night, Ambode said
the initiative was basically designed to inject 5,000 buses, modern
terminals, facilitate ease of mobility for residents and also rev up the
Lagos economy, among others.
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi
Ambode, on Wednesday said plans have been firmed up to roll out the Bus
Reform Project of the state government in March with 820 high and medium
capacity buses.
According to the Governor, the initiative would “redefine public transportation and make the state globally competitive”.
Speaking
during an extensive inspection tour of ongoing projects across the
state, which lasted from morning till late in the night, Ambode said the
initiative was basically designed to inject 5,000 buses, modern
terminals, facilitate ease of mobility for residents and also rev up the
Lagos economy, among others.
While inspecting the assembling
plant at Awoyaya in Ibeju Lekki area of the state, which is also serving
as the temporary holding bay for 500 out of the 820 buses, he expressed
optimism that the buses would be rolled out after the elections, while
the next phase of the project would be to assemble the buses in Lagos.
“This
is an assembling plant. The dream is that beyond the procurement of 820
buses by government, the next set of buses in the vision should be
assembled in Lagos in this assembling plant and another one in Epe,” he
said.
“That is the dream and the whole project is scalable and in
this scale right now, we would run with the 820; you have seen the
maintenance workshops and all that, and then the next scale, which is
the next phase, is for Nigerians to be able to assemble the buses in
Lagos and then we create employment opportunities and also allow the GDP
of Lagos to grow. The buses are ready and we think with everything we
have done, we should be able to roll out these buses maybe immediately
after the elections.”
Ambode explained that although the 5,000
buses would not be enough for the state, the government was showing good
example and creating the conducive atmosphere to allow the private
sector come in and participate in the whole arrangement.
“What
has happened is that government has gone ahead to procure these buses
using its funds and the buses are being owned by a government company
called Lagos Bus Services Limited (LBSL). So, the LBSL will lease these
buses to operators who would use the three depots at Oshodi, Anthony and
Yaba to ensure that the buses are sustained and maintained properly so
that they don’t get wasted before their lifespan expires,” he said.
“The
idea is if we are able to show good example — and we have procured
these buses with our own money — the private sector can join hands with
us and start to procure those additional buses that will take it to
5,000, while government can also procure more and by so doing, we would
have had assembling plant in Lagos and create job opportunities for our
people.
“By the time you put these buses on the road, it will
create jobs for drivers, engineers, technicians, and so on, thereby
growing the economy of Lagos coming from the transport sector in
addition to 100 bus stops being constructed simultaneously across the
State with attendant positive impact on the economy. So, the idea is:
create jobs, grow the economy, make the city globally competitive and
then make life comfortable for the people.”
The 820 buses, which have
already been delivered, are equipped with cameras, USB point, internet,
television, and special spaces for physically challenged, pregnant
women and the aged, among others.
Share your thoughts