By Demi Adeniyi
Sunrise News, Lagos, July 23, 2024: Small capacity buses, popularly called Korope, and Keke Marwa, remained banned on the Lekki-Epe Expressway axis of Lagos, beginning from next Thursday, August 1, 2024, the Lagos State Government has said.
Addressing the media at a press conference at the Providence Hotel, Ikeja, the Commissioner of Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, said the step is in line with government’s commitment to the safety and security of members of the public.
Osiyemi said the small buses (usually with seven passenger capacity) and Keke, just like Okada, have no place in the state’s transportation masterplan.
He disclosed that all critical stakeholders in the transportation sector, particularly the two transport unions – the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, as well as all operators along the corridor, have been adequately briefed at various stakeholders engagements, of Government’s intention and everyone is being carried along in the drive to reinvent the Lekki-Epe road corridor, and give to residents a transportation alternative befitting a megacity.
The Commissioner said from that date, government will roll out new set of buses on that corridor, in line with the Bus Reform Initiative of the Sanwo-Olu administration, which focuses on the injection of mass capacity buses on the major trunks of the state.
“We are again sounding advisory note to all operators of korope and Keke Marwa to please leave the Lekki Expressway from August 1,” he said.
Osiyemi clarified that government is however not totally taking private operators off the corridor, adding that anyone wishing to operate on the axis must have a minimum of 50 vehicles in his fleet, which are to be operated in the state’s sky blue colour and have installed the integrated payment equipment for the Cowry card operation.
The Special Adviser to the Governor Sola Giwa said the Lekki-Epe corridor is the flagship pilot phase in government’s renewed attempt to inject new buses into the public transportation under the bus reform initiative.
He reiterated the need for all operators to cooperate with the government in its commitment to serve the interest of the larger members of the society who desired to be better served and who will use the new set of buses.
The buses proposed to be deployed on that corridor would be clean, safe, secured and comfortable, adding that though koropes are banned, the medium bus operators popularly known as Danfos can still operate the axis only if they come under an operator who will not have less than 50 vehicles in his fleet.
“Danfos can still operate on the axis, but they must be willing and ready to.come under an operator who must have a minimum of 50 vehicles on his fleet, be ready to repaint all buses on his fleet to the state colour and install the Cowry Card portal on all the vehicles as fees are going to be cashless,” Giwa said.
Giwa equally disclosed that the government will flag-off the truck electronic call up system next Thursday.
“From August 1, it would be an offence to find any articulated vehicle or truck on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, especially the fertiliser plant, the refinery or the Deepsea Port access road without the E-Call up evidence, ” he said.
Giwa said the state government, in its bid to prevent a repeat of what members of the motoring public are experiencing on the Apapa Port access roads have put in place robust arrangements and have secured a number of parks and holding bays for trucks intending to enter either the Free Trade Zone, the Fertiliser plant or the Refinery as well as the Pet areas. He added that it is from these holding bays and garages that vehicles would be called up to approach their various destinations without obstructing traffic or causing unnecessary congestion on the road.
The governor’s aide said govrtnment has put in place a robust arrangement aimed at alleviating the suffering of all road users adding that no one would be allowed to inconvenience other road users even while carrying out his or her business activities.
He therefore called for the understanding of all stakeholder, especially owners and operators of truck, tankers and other articulated trailers to cooperate with the government in meeting the onerous responsibilities of ensuring the safety, comfort and convenience of all road users.
Recall that the Lekki-Epe Expressway is the latest economic hub housing the Dangote Refinery, which is the largest single train plant with the capacity of delivering 650,000 barrels of refined petroleum products per day, a Urea fertiliser Manufacturing plant, also belonging to Dangote Industries, the Lekki Free Trade Zone, with a cluster of manufacturing concerns, a Deepsea Port, that can take huge cargo capacity and an airport being built by the state government.
Lagos State Government’s attempt to instill the E-Call up culture on the corridor is to prevent the repeat of the road indiscipline that has characterized the Apap Port access roads, leading to massive gridlocks which impeded economic growth and poses a major threat to the well-being of residents along the Apapa Port area.