Lagos gives registration ultimatum to commercial bus drivers

The Lagos State Government has issued a two-week registration notice to all public transport drivers (Korope/Danfo bus drivers) as it releases the restructuring plans to improve the commuting experience in the state.

Speaking at a meeting with bus operators and Union leaders in the state, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, said the move aligned with the Strategic Transportation Master Plan for Lagos State.

Giwa described the current state of bus operations on the corridor as chaotic hence, the need for collaboration to successfully regulate and integrate the informal transport sector into the state’s Bus Reform Initiative using the Lekki/Epe corridor as a pilot test.

He explained that the Lekki Epe Corridor had been inspected by the Ministry of Transportation and Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA) to identify limitations of seamless traffic flow along the expressway and adjourning roads, and had mapped out a systematic framework to address these challenges.

Some of the planned solutions according to the transportation special adviser include the restructuring of the existing unregulated public transport bus operations on the Lekki Epe Corridor, deployment of high-capacity buses on the corridor as stated in the Lagos Transport Policy and the Bus Route Network, reallocation and relocation of Korope/Minibuses to inner route, re-registration and recertification of all buses.

Others are the Introduction of an e-ticketing system, provision of transport infrastructure (layby, terminal etc.), regulation and standardisation of bus operations, improved transportation services i.e. Safety and Passenger Comfort and promotion of the security of lives and properties along the Lekki-Epe corridor.

Giwa stated that the restructuring plan will be implemented in phases, urging transport operators who intend to key into the restructuring program, to come to the Ministry of Transportation to register within the next two weeks. He added that the registered operators will be allotted routes by the ministry to ensure strict compliance with the strategy.

The special adviser also warned that any operator who contravenes the regulations will be fined and will likely forfeit their vehicles if they ignore the notice of their fines. He declared that the state government will not accommodate willful disregard of its existing Transport Sector Reform Law.

Addressing the concerns raised by members of the unions, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Olawale Musa, explained that the state government is counting on them to fish out unregistered operators along the Lekki-Epe Corridor, affirming that Lekki –Epe expressway would be a pilot test for the standardisation of the transportation system in Lagos.

Earlier in the meeting, the Head of LAMATA, Dr Amure, stated that the rapid development of the Lekki/Epe axis was one of the reasons the state government chose the corridor to continue its Bus Reform Initiative, which started with the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transit in different parts of the State.

The Special Adviser, Hon Sola Giwa, Permanent Secretary, Olawale Musa, Acting Chairman National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Alhaji Mustapha aka Sego and Deputy Chairman Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria RTEAN, Alhaji Taofeek Ajayi signed a communique at the end of the meeting to affirm their support of the restructuring initiative