The Lagos Bus Service Limited (LBSL) has reportedly transported 10 million passengers in 10 months of its operations in Lagos State. Managing Director/Chief Executive, LBSL, Idowu Oguntona, disclosed during the company’s celebration of the milestone at its bus terminus.
Oguntona also reiterated LBSL’s commitment in aiding to reduce the number of cars on Lagos roads during business hours.
Oguntona said, “As part of our efforts to facilitate intermodal transportation in Lagos State, we collaborate with LAGFERRY to ensure seamless movement of people, and we are ready to work with other sister organisations to ensure that the Sanwo-Olu administration’s blueprint for the transport sector is realised.
“The Greater Lagos we envisage with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is a smart city where a resident can get of home, ride on our bus, get on a ferry link a train and still return home in a bus, all in a day’s journey. It is no longer a dream without a date. It is now a realisable goal in our life time.”
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In a statement sent to Nairametrics, Oguntona further disclosed that the company had been growing organically, tripling its fleet from 50 buses in May 2019 to 150 high capacity buses by December 2019.
Additional 65 high capacity buses were deployed and seven new major routes opened in February for the use of commuters affected by the restriction order placed on motorcycles and tricycles in some parts of Lagos.
Oguntona also stated that LBSL transports 80, 000 passengers daily on its 15 routes and as such, has been able to achieve the significant feat of effectively transporting 10 million passengers in 10 months since 2019 while creating jobs for hundreds of people.
He also disclosed that plans were underway to introduce more high capacity and mini-buses into the company’s fleet to serve more commuters across the state.
“LBSL is a key player in the Traffic Management & Transportation; Health and Environment component of the THEMES agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. We have created jobs for over 700 Lagosians, with about 87 per cent of the staff being bus captains, operations staff and technical staff.
“We have also empowered Lagosians for employment through our driving school that successfully produced 1,969 certified high capacity bus drivers in 2019,” he added.
Speaking against the backdrop of the recent confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the State and the need for relevant organizations to embrace precautionary measures, Oguntona disclosed that the company is putting in place, necessary measures to minimize exposure to the virus on the buses.
“As we speak now, the use of sanitizers in all our stations is now compulsory. This is in addition to provision of Thermometer already deployed across our stations to check passenger’s Temperature before they board our buses, to contain the spread of this virus and ensure that users of LBSL are safe and protected,” he added.
The London bus service has 6 million passengers a day! They have 8,500 buses and 19000 stops. What is your current capacity sir, and what is the aspiration for Lagos state?