The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has announced plans to introduce articulated buses on BRT corridors as part of efforts aimed at expanding capacity.
The announcement was made by LAMATA Managing Director, Abimbola Akinajo, during a recent episode of Mobility Redefined, a podcast hosted by transport technology company Modaxo.
Although no timeline was given, the move is part of broader efforts to improve efficiency across the state’s regulated mass transit network.
“When we’re looking at BRT routes, obviously it’s about increasing the number of rolling stock we have, and begin to look at the possibility of articulated rolling stock for the BRT routes because if they’re dedicated, then yes, we can utilize that,” Akinajo said.
Articulated buses—longer vehicles with a flexible midsection—can carry more passengers than regular buses and will operate on existing BRT lanes once deployed.
She noted that the initiative supports Lagos State’s broader plan to reduce reliance on informal minibus operators by expanding the state’s high-capacity regulated services.
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Akinajo said over 90% of daily transport in Lagos still takes place on roads, with informal minibus operators—known locally as danfos—responsible for about 75% of all passenger movement.
She estimated that more than 75,000 minibuses currently serve the city, highlighting the dominance of the informal sector.
She noted that the Lagos State Government plans to reduce reliance on these informal vehicles by replacing them with 15,000 high-capacity buses under a long-term transition strategy outlined in the Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP).
- The STMP also includes six planned rail lines, 14 BRT corridors, and more than 20 waterway routes. Of the six rail lines, the first phases of the Blue and Red Lines are currently functional, with work ongoing on their second sections.
- According to Akinajo, integrating existing operators into the evolving system will be key. Some may be retrained or absorbed into regulated first-and-last-mile services, subject to stricter standards such as e-ticketing and vehicle tracking.
- She added that LAMATA is also working to reduce the environmental footprint of public transport, citing ongoing efforts to introduce cleaner fuels, including compressed natural gas (CNG) and waste-to-energy solutions.
LAMATA has already begun implementing an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) to improve bus scheduling, monitoring, and service delivery. Akinajo further disclosed that new interchanges are being constructed to ease transfers between buses, ferries, and rail systems.
On the Lagos Blue Line, she said operations will soon improve, with trains expected to run every 10 minutes during peak hours.
