Sanwo-Olu launches Oshodi-Abule-Egba BRT August
All hands are on deck to ensure the take-off of the Oshodi-Abule-Egba Bus Rapid Transit route by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu next month.
This follows the completion of the works including 11 pedestrian bridges, two bus terminals at Iyana-Ipaja and Abule-Egba along the 13.68 median route as originally advertised by the Lagos State Metropolitan Authority in January 2017.
The route has enabled LAMATA to expand the BRT routes in Lagos from 33.5 kilometres to 47.18 kilometres.
Other BRT routes in Lagos Include Mile2, Amuwo-Odofin to CMS, Lagos Island, (22 km) and Mike 12 to Ikorodu, (13.5km)
Another impetus for the take-off is the successful negotiation of the N20.2 billion custom duties charged by the Nigerian Ports Authority for the processing of 570 of the 820 buses procured by the former administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the Lagos Bus Reform Project.
In a rare achievement of diplomacy and financial ingenuity, Governor Sanwo-Olu engaged contacts at the Presidency to make a good case for the release of the buses to avoid depletion in value if left at the ports and gain economic value from ease of business if they are injected into the state’s transport management system.
Although the buses were released early June, their deployment was left to LAMATA to resolve.
ECHONEWS learnt that the 570 buses were distributed among five transportation companies including the state-owned Lagos Bus Services Limited (LBSL), Primero, TJ Motors and TSL.
Governor Sanwo-Olu had directed that not less than 200 buses be deployed to the Oshodi-BRT route when he inspected the facilities in January this year.
The directive is to ensure that no depot or terminal on the route lacks buses at any time to convey over 60,000 passengers estimated on the route daily.
Unlike earlier BRT schemes when a company was given monopoly of the routes, ECHONEWS learnt that LAMATA will experiment with at least three transport firms on the Oshodi-Abule-Egba route.
These include TJ Motors, TSL and Primero. For Primero may be winning Oshodi-Abule-Egba slot to lose its monopoly on the Ikorodu-Mile12 route, impeccable sources have hinted.
To ensure that the companies make gains, the government recently approved increases in transport fares.
Although the buses include high capacity and medium capacity units, ECHONEWS learnt that the high capacity buses are to be deployed to the route.
The buses, by COVID-19 regulations of the Lagos State government, are allowed to take no fewer than 42 persons per day.
The three companies are expected to deploy 200 buses which would move 42 persons per trip. With 200 buses running seven trips per day, no fewer than 58,800 passengers will use their services daily.
This is expected to reduce congestion on the route and improve traffic flow.
To persuade users of private vehicles to switch, the vehicles are fitted with camera, USB ports to charge phones, television for entertainment and special seats for persons with physical challenges and the aged.
Another economic spin-off is the opportunity for jobs for drivers, cleaners, mechanics, and engineers.
Conceived by the Akinwunmi Ambode administration as part of the Lagos Bus Reform Project, the procurement of 820 vehicles was meant to entice the private sector to buy into the vision of supplying 5,000 medium and high capacity buses to move commuters in metropolitan Lagos and pressurise yellow buses to move into the semi-urban and rural areas.
The project includes the construction and upgrade of transportation depots and terminals such as the Oshodi Transport Interchange, the Yaba, Oyingbo and TBS terminals.
Determined to add value and ensure the returns on investment for the massive investment of tax payers’ funds, Governor Sanwo-Olu declared, on assumption of office, that the focus of his administration would be the completion of on-going projects.
