Lagos State Government said on Tuesday that it will replace Yellow Buses now in operation the state with buses with Close Circuit Television (CCTV), saying that government was not taking jobs out of the hands of commercial bus drivers.
The government also said it planned to build several bus terminals across the state to meet the demand of transportation in the metropolis, listing some of the areas to include Oyingbo, Yaba, Maryland, among others.
Acting Commissioner for Transportation, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, disclosed this at a Stakeholder’s meeting on the upgrading/utilisation of the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) Bus Terminal on Lagos Island.
Elegushi said what government wanted to do was to refleet the transportation system with new buses, as most of the Yellow commercial buses were not roadworthy having been in use for the past 20 years.
“On the Yellow buses, what we are planning is to re-fleet with new buses. As you will agree most of the Yellow buses are not road worthy. Most of them have been running for over 20 years. So, it is not convenient anymore for passengers.
“So, what we are trying to do is to take them up and bring other new buses that will have CCTV, charging points to charge phones and a lot of facilities and many other facilities. So, they are still going to be the drivers, we are not the driver.
“The essence of re-fleeting is to get it right. We are working on the programme most especially on the financial model that we will use in transferring those vehicles to the operators. That is just what we are doing,” the commissioner said.
Speaking further, Elegushi called for collaboration of stakeholders in the maintenance of the upgraded TBS Bus Terminal, disclosing that government planned to replicate it in other parts of the state.
According to him, the project is to mark excellence, as the state prepares to mark its 50th anniversary, adding that government was keen about changing the face of transportation and upgrade transport facilities.
Elegushi stated that the new terminal would accommodate its original operators, taxis, Yellow buses, tricycles, as well as BRT and LAGBUS buses, with designated lanes, ticketing points, Intelligence Transport System guide for passengers, mini shops, stickers for identification, among others, even as he appealed to transport unions and others to take care of the terminal.
“It is a kind of responsibility expected from the transport stakeholders especially transport union. We have delivered as promised but what we expect from them is to see a project well maintained so that there will be justification for what we spent.
“We are working on other terminals like Oyingbo, the drawing is almost ready; Yaba Terminal, the drawing of that is almost ready. We are also working on Anthony, the VIS garden; we are turning it to a bus terminal. The two petrol stations at Maryland, we are turning them to bus terminal very soon; those are parts of what we have in the pipeline. Very soon we will hit the ground running,” he said.
The Chairman, House Committee on Transportation, Fatai Adebola, in his remark, commended Governor Akinwumi Ambode for this initiative and urged the people to take ownership of the project.
