As part of measures to reduce the impact of petrol subsidy removal, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday, slashed transport fare on all Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), routes by 50 per cent beginning from Wednesday, August 2.
Sanwo-Olu who made the announcement while addressing journalists at the State House, Ikeja, after a meeting with security agencies, said that yellow buses, popularly known as ‘Danfo’ will follow suit with a reduction of 25 per cent in fare on all routes.
Aside commuters using BRT buses, the 50 percent fare slash would also be enjoyed by those that use other public transport means operated by Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY).
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According to the governor, the state has procured and taken delivery of new high-capacity buses to raise the fleet of vehicles conveying civil servants from their homes to office and back. He said the buses would be deployed on Wednesday, while unutilised buses in the public fleet would be deployed to complement the public transport operation.
“In the course of State Security Council meeting today, we reviewed the current economic situation that we have in the country, especially as it affects our residents in Lagos. We have had extensive consultations with all the stakeholders in our transport sector, both formal and informal. We have come to the conclusion which both the State Government and the stakeholders will be supporting.
“Immediately from Wednesday, all public transport services under the control of LAMATA will be plying all routes across Lagos at 50 per cent fare rebate of the current rate. Route configuration and new fare validation are currently being done ahead of the kick-off of the palliative measures. Commercial operators in informal transport services will be rolling out their fare reduction plan, which is about 25 per cent. They are meeting with themselves on the modality as we speak.
“We have also concluded the arrangement to increase the fleet of our staff buses conveying workers to their offices and homes. We have procured more buses to achieve this objective and the vehicle are being supplied already. We are waiting to get the required number before deploying the vehicles to various arms in the public service. Extra buses will be deployed back to public transport system to complement the services,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor also said plans had been concluded with various stakeholders to distribute food items to vulnerable people in the state.
“We will be sending regular food items people consume daily, such as rice, beans, garri and all food products that can help cushion the effects of the current hardship on our people. All the purchases of the food items will be done locally to empower local food suppliers and keep the benefits of the intervention within the local food market value chain,” he said.
The state Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, shared report on security activities across the state, noting that the Lagos Police Command had arrested 260 suspects through the newly formed Operation Flush.
The progress, Owohunwa said, would be sustained by increased surveillance in some flashpoints to safeguard the safety of residents.