Lagos to regulate public bus operators

The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, has called for the collaboration of public transport bus operators as the state aims to improve its commuting experience.

Giwa said this in a meeting between the Ministry of Transportation, the Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority and bus operators on the Bus Reform Initiative programme on Thursday in Lagos.

Giwa said this was in line with the Strategic Transportation Master Plan for the state, adding that the initiative aims to restructure the existing public transport operations in the state.

He described the current bus operations as chaotic, which prompted the need to successfully regulate and integrate the informal transport sector into the state’s Bus Reform Initiative.

He said a pilot test had been carried out on the Lekki-Epe corridor and inspected by the Ministry of Transportation to identify the limitations of seamless traffic flow along the expressway and adjourning roads.

“Systematic frameworks to address these challenges have been mapped out, which include the deployment of high-capacity buses on the corridor as stated in the Lagos Transport Policy and the Bus Route Network,” Giwa said.

He said mini buses would be registered and re-allocated to inner routes and an e-ticketing system would be introduced.

He urged transport operators to register with the Ministry of Transportation within two weeks, adding that registered operators will be allotted routes.

Giwa said that any operator who violates the regulations implemented would be fined and would forfeit their vehicles if they ignored the notice of their fines.