PRESS RELEASE
World Bank to make Lagos BRT reference
for other cities – World Bank chief
The Lagos Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is soon to become a reference system for other cities planning to implement such mass transportation system.
Mr. Ajay Kumar, Task Team Leader, World Bank for the Lagos Urban Transport Project (LUTP), which the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) is implementing, said the project had been executed beyond the imagination of the team particularly against the backdrop of tough political and socio-economic environment.
Speaking during a recent visit to Lagos to assess the operations of the BRT, Mr. Kumar said “I would rather send officials of cities seeking to implement the BRT system to Lagos than to Bogotá in Colombia or Curitiba in Brazil.
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R-L: Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, Technical Advisor, Public Transport and Traffic Management, Engr. Olugbenga Dairo and a World Bank official at the Mile 12 terminal |
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“You have a tough environment here. The political, socio-economic situations are very tough. The environmental factor is also very tough. In spite of all these you have been able to implement a system which is running and enjoying very high patronage.”
Mr. Ajay commended the partnership LAMATA forged with the private sector, especially the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), which formed a cooperative to run the BRT system and a bank, which provided funding for the acquisition of the BRT buses.
The World Bank official was full of praises for Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) of Lagos State for the support he gave to the operations of the BRT with the release of additional 70 buses to the NURTW Cooperative to boost system.
He called for a constant fine-tuning of the system so that imperfections that may be discovered in operations would be tackled promptly.
During a ride in one of the BRT buses, Managing Director of LAMATA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola told the World Bank team that the initial project was for the system to carry about 60,000 passengers per day, however, it now carries about 130,000 passengers per day.
Dr. Mobereola said this has prompted LAMATA, as the regulator of the system, to reappraise its planning, designate some bus shelters as mini terminal with more buses sent there to cope with the huge number of passengers patronising the system.
The huge patronage, he said was due to a fare regime that is affordable and flexible.
Dr. Mobereola called for more funding of the transport in Lagos by the World Bank just as he also appealed to the private sector, especially banks to tap into the gold that is buried in transportation system.
Kolawole Ojelabi
External Relations Specialist
Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority
234-1-2702778 – 82, 01-790-5343, 0803-855-6452
kojelabi@lamata-ng.com
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