By Ngozi Nwoke
The operator of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos, Primero Transport Services Limited, says it will roll out more buses next year to reduce the waiting time of commuters at bus stops in the state.
Managing director of Primero, Mr. Fola Tinubu, disclosed that the firm is committed to making life easier for commuters.
According to him, the firm bought 434 buses in 2015 to serve residents of the state in ensuring that they reach their destinations on time and efforts were being made to improve the services as well as increase the number of buses daily.
He said that the company was committed to reducing the waiting time at bus stops to 15-20 minutes and did not want anyone to be stranded at bus stops, adding that the company had good maintenance mechanisms for its buses, which made many of them, though six years old, to be looking new.
He said: “We are working on revamping more buses to reduce the waiting time for passengers. The Yutong team are in our depot working on the grounded buses to increase our fleet and number of buses on the road. We believe no passenger should spend 15 to 20 minutes before getting a bus. We have 434 buses of our own and over 150 buses from the Lagos State government. Public transportation is the backbone of any economy anywhere in the world. And until we take it seriously, we would remain at a standstill without any improvement.
“We started operations six years ago and currently, we are running around 200 buses on Ikorodu to TBS and about 50 buses on Abule-Egba to Oshodi. We have three operators on Abule-Egba to Oshodi route, Primero inclusive.
“All over the world, including developed countries that have world-class transportation service, the government does not try to make profits from the public transportation system. It is heavily subsidised by the government. It’s only in Nigeria that you see transportation as a means of making extra profit. With all my travel experiences to developed countries such as China, England, America, Dubai and so on, public transportation is heavily subsidised. We want a world-class transportation system but we are not ready to pay the price. Having a world-class transportation system comes with a cost but the government is not ready and willing to pay the cost.
“All those buses you see on the road sparkling and looking appealing is because the cost has been paid to make them look that way. But here in Nigeria, the government is not ready. Public transportation is not a profitable business. It is part of the government’s basic amenities or responsibility to its citizens. If they want to charge the amount required, the masses would not afford it.
“Public transportation generally is subsidised anywhere in the world. We need to start asking ourselves questions about the kind of economy we want. We must be ready to also accept the truth. Let’s research how the British public transportation system works. In Nigeria, we want to have our cake and eat it which of course is not possible. We have done a lot in fulfilling the goals of the scheme and we are constantly working to improve our services. We will not fail or disappoint the teeming commuters in Lagos who rely on our services.
“I have been advocating in the past six years, that both the operators and the government have a round table discussion and decide on the kind of service we want, the cost implications and how to get the funds. Please, note that these complaints on the level of the public transportation system in Nigeria are not only the state government issue. It must be well supported by the federal government at the national level. The federal government needs to come on board and look into the public transportation system in Lagos State because Lagos State is the economic hub of Nigeria. Whatever affects the economy of Lagos State has affected the nation.
“People are saying let’s buy more buses to reduce the long waiting queue, but I assure you that it’s not just about buying more buses. There is more to it. This is why when the government buys more buses they don’t last. Effective and adequate maintenance must be in place to ensure the new buses last long and are always in good condition. It goes beyond just buying buses. I must say that the state government cannot do it alone. The federal government needs to champion a world-class transportation system in Nigeria”.
Tinubu further said the firm had 800 drivers aside from other staff on its payroll that undergo quarterly training to provide the best of services to the people. He said this had become imperative to ensure that commuters at bus stops and onboard were safe and secure.
According to him, the company has zero-tolerance for any form of misbehaviour, disregard to safety, speed, recklessness and use of drugs or alcohol by its drivers and other staff, stressing that those who had been caught in such acts had been shown the way out of the firm.
“Our rule is that no driver should engage in drugs and alcohol, and we check randomly for this. We conduct a computerised selection of 20 drivers in the morning and 20 drivers in the afternoon for drug and alcohol tests. No driver, not even me, knows who will be selected for the daily drug test. We do this to further strengthen safety onboard,” he said.
Tinubu commended the Lagos State Government for its efforts to stop commercial motorcyclists and other road users from encroaching into the BRT dedicated lanes. He assured commuters that the company would continue to improve on its services and mitigate their suffering in terms of moving from one destination to another in the state.
He, however, lamented that BRT operation is confronted with challenges, including the inability to generate enough revenue even as costs of running the buses keep rising, adding that this is because the service is regulated by the state government and as such, fares cannot be fixed to cover costs and make profits.
He further disclosed: “Primero losses an average of five tyres every day due to infrastructure deficit. And we bought each tyre at about N200,000 which is almost a million naira a day. You cannot fund an economy on generators. The cost is too expensive. The infrastructure has to be in good condition before people can invest. Our fares are being regulated by the government. The danfo buses are making profits because they are not regulated and they can charge any amount they like. We can’t do that because we are regulated. Our biggest challenge is the naira, which affects all strata of our businesses. When we started, we took a foreign loan to buy buses. We bought the buses from outside the country and we took a dollar loan. We did it when naira was N168 per dollar. We all know what the dollar rate is today.
“When we started, we were buying diesel at N119 per litre or N150, but we buy diesel at N340 now, yet we still maintain the same fare. Despite the cost of diesel, we still run the air-conditioners during operations. So, the cost of operation has gone high, creating some challenges for us.
“We are regulated by Lagos State government. I cannot just wake up tomorrow and say I want to increase the fare. Everything goes up in Lagos with the exception of bus fares. There has only been one increase and I fought for it last year. It took me almost six months of yelling and begging and eventually, it was increased but even that increase did not satisfy the situation although it provided some succour. That is why I keep saying that we must have an honest conversation about bus transportation service in Lagos State.
“Do we want a world-class service or not? If we want it, then it has to be paid for. The question is, who pays for it? You cannot transfer a governmental social responsibility to a private company. It is not fair. While we agree that there is a social element in our business, it does not mean you should transfer a governmental social responsibility to a private company. If we are a government agency, we can continue to accumulate losses because there is taxpayers’ money to back us up. We are not a government agency but a private company. People believe Lagos State owns part of Primero but Lagos State does not own a single share in Primero. Lagos State does not have one single kobo invested in this company.
“The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was conceived by the Lagos State government under Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and LAMATA. They called for bidding for Ikorodu-Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) corridor, and we submitted our own bid. Luckily, we won. That was about six years ago. We have had ups and downs. There have been challenges because there is no way you can run something this big in Nigeria without its ups and downs. But we are still there and we hope to still continue.”