The Ekiti State Government has commenced moves to reduce transport fares by 50 per cent across the state following the deployment of 15 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered buses.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji flagged off the buses on Thursday at the premises of the Ekiti State Transportation Agency in Ado Ekiti, saying the initiative was aimed at cushioning the impact of transportation costs on residents.
The deployment coincided with Nigeria’s Independence Day and Ekiti State’s 30th anniversary celebrations and was described by the governor as part of efforts to provide more affordable and accessible public transportation in line with the Federal Government’s directive.
The 15 buses, donated to Ekiti by the Federal Government, represent the pilot phase of the initiative, with Oyebanji saying the state would expand the fleet to reach more residents.
The governor, who was accompanied by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said the government would continue to explore measures to reduce the burden of transportation on residents.
Oyebanji expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the intervention, saying the provision of the buses would contribute to easing transportation costs and demonstrate the commitment of both the federal and state governments to improving residents’ welfare.
He urged transport unions to ensure that the benefits of the CNG buses were passed directly to commuters through reduced fares.
“The President charged all state Governors that by October first, we should find a way of reducing transportation cost because most of the implications we are witnessing, transportation contributes a lot to it and what we have done today is just the pilot, 15 CNG buses which is going to be distributed to the unions and the agency will manage it.
“My appeal is to the Unions, they should allow the gains to translate to the commuters because this will reduce transportation cost by 50 percent,” he said.
Oyebanji also commended the economic policies of the Federal Government, saying they had provided states with additional resources to implement projects with direct benefits for residents.
“No matter how visionary a leader is, if there are no resources to work with, it will just stay in the realm of a vision. But the President has been helping and supporting us not only Ekiti State but all the states in the country to translate our vision into action and impacts for the people,” he said.
Speaking on the deployment, the Director-General of the Ekiti State Transportation Agency, Tajudeen Akingbolu, said routes had been mapped out for the CNG buses to operate between Ado Ekiti and Lagos, Ibadan, Onitsha and Abuja.
Akingbolu said the initiative would provide residents with more affordable and reliable interstate transportation while helping to reduce the burden of high transport fares.
