· Gov promises to give 100,000 e-ticket cards free to Lagosians
By Michael Olatunji
SUNRISE NEWS, Lagos, Aug 11, 2020 An excited Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu handed over Lagosians Terminal 2 of the Oshodi Transportation Interchange and the Abule Egba BRT corridor, with a charge on them to take ownership of the projects and protect them from being vandalised. He said the government will continue to aggressively pursue its traffic decongestion initiatives.
At exactly 12.30 pm, Governor Sanwo-Olu was led to the ticketing booth at Terminal 2 of the Oshodi Transportation Interchange (OTI), to purchase his ticket, where he paid the sun of N5000 for the historic ride on the dedicated High Capacity Buses enroute Abule-Egba, the terminal point of the project.
The governor also officially unveiled the state’s riders’ card, saying the card is meant to promote e-ticketing, even as he directed that 100,000 cards be given free of charge to commuters.
Sanwo-Olu who was accompanied by top government functionaries, the management team of Planet Projects Limited, the contractor of the Oshodi Terminals Mr Biodun Otunola, top officials of the Lagos Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LAMATA) led by the Engr (Mrs) Abimbola Akinajo, officials of Strabac Construction Limited, rode on four of the high capacity buses on the corridor.
Speaking at Iyana Dopemu, where the contractor had organized a mini reception for him, the governor said the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was conceptualized in 2008, adding the Abule-Egba BRT is meant to provide a comfortable transportation alternative to the huge volume of commuters using the corridor.
He said; “we want Lagos that is alive and resilient, a state that provides better livelihood for all.” He described the dream behind the Abule-Egba corridor as one meant to guarantee improvement in journey time and improved travel experience which would cut down the trip from Oshodi to Abule-Egba from one and half hours hitherto, to about 30 minutes.
The governor who lauded the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (LAMATA) for its supervisory role completing the project within the timeline, despite the COVID-19 pandemic , said 550 Medium and High Capacity Vehicles (M/HCV) would be rolled out on the corridor to cater for the 65,000 projected commuters along the route.
“Our intention for coming up with the Abule Egba BRT corridor is to berth a new travel experience that is meant to ensure smooth traffic on our roads,” the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu who thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for waiving the duties on the vehicles ordered by the previous administration stated that but for the president’s support, the dream of the BRT corridor may have not materialized.
He described the three projects as a major achievement on the administration’s THEMES agenda, said government intention is to aggressively pursue integration of all modes of transportation, adding that the government is determined to deliver the Red Line light rail project which would pass through the Abule-Egba corridor within the next 24 months.
He said when the Red Line finally comes on stream, it would complement government’s initiatives to increase the capacity of public sector transportation to cater for the surging needs of the people.
He said the government would continue to improve commuters’ travel experience, reduce traffic congestion and travel time.
The Commissioner for Transportation Dr Frederic Oladeinde said the three projects being flagged off by the governor are testimony to the fact that the THEMES Agenda of the government is on course and working perfectly.
He said the government would soon flag off the second phase of the project, which would see the corridor extended to Sango-Otta to cater to commuters living along the border communities.
Oladeinde praised the governor for his commitment to the completion of the project which ensured that the funding gap is adequately bridged for accelerated completion.
“The ministry and her agencies are determined and super charged to ensure that public transportation becomes efficient and stress free.”
Earlier LAMATA’s Managing Director/CEO Engr Mrs Abimbola Akinajo said the 13.65 kms length Abule-Egba BRT corridor’s major objective is to help address the transport crisis along the corridor. She said the BRT lanes are 3.3 metres wide, with provision for laybys and bus shelters (bus stops).
The BRT lanes, Akinajo added, are also segregated with barricades, with provision for road infrastructure such as street lightings and road markings even as the contractor in the cause of the construction rehabilitated three pedestrian bridges along the route.
Akinajo said the corridor and the interchange would enhance the social and economic development of the state as a world class destination for modern global transportation services.
She noted that the projected efficiency of bus operators will enhance the state’s economy.