Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reduced the transportation fares of state-owned buses and ferries by 50% and implemented other measures to mitigate the impact of subsidy termination.
He stated this during a press conference following a state security council meeting on Monday afternoon, adding that the government has also put in place measures for commercial buses, popularly known as “Danfo,” to lower their fares by 25%.
The fare reduction will benefit commuters who utilize BRT buses and other public transportation modes run by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY).
The Governor stated that operators in the informal transportation sector (commercial drivers) would be taking similar steps to reduce transportation costs, noting that commercial operators in Lagos had agreed to reduce their fees by 25%.
Sanwo-Olu stated that the palliative measures would be maintained until the Federal Government’s determination on a number of relief measures for citizens to mitigate the consequences of the gasoline subsidy reduction.
The governor said: “In the course of the 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.”
Palliatives
Sanwo-Olu stated that preparations for distributing food items to vulnerable individuals in the state have been finalized with various stakeholders.
He stated that the intervention will be carried out through effective channels of stakeholders such as civil society organizations, Local Government Authorities, Community Development Associations (CDAs), Community Development Councils (CDCs), churches, mosques, and traditional organizations.
The measure, according to Sanwo-Olu, is one of the Government’s immediate priorities to mitigate the damage and stabilize the conditions of common folks.
“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,” the Governor said.
Sanwo-Olu advised the corporate sector to adopt similar steps to assist their employees in dealing with the current crisis.
