The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) says it transported more than 60 million intra-city passengers from 2015 and 2017.

Mr Abiodun Dabiri, the Managing Director of LAMATA, said on Monday that the agency’s fleet of BRT buses facilitated the intra-city movement during the period.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that BRT buses use exclusively interference-free segregated lanes to guarantee fast and reliable travel with high-quality bus shelters.

The agency coordinates transport policies in the state and also oversees road and traffic management as well as the Lagos Rail Mass Transit and the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit System.

Former Gov. Bola Tinubu had on Jan. 13, 2002, signed the bill into law and modified by the LAMATA Act of 2007.

Africa’s first bus rapid transit scheme began operations on.March 17, 2008 under the administration of ex-Gov. Babatunde Fashola (SAN).

Apart from transporting people from Ikorodu through Mile 12 to Lagos Island to escape gridlock, Dabiri said the BRT system has also generated over 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs during the period under review.

“As part of innovations to make public transport attractive to the upper echelon of the society, they could drop their vehicles, use public transport ( air conditioned buses) and also reduce both congestion and emissions on the roads,” the LAMATA boss said in a statement signed by Mr Kolawole Ojelabi, Head of Media and Communications.

He said the recognition of the contribution of LAMATA to public transportation would further spur the agency to deliver more projects that would be of benefits to the people.

Dabiri said the ongoing BRT dedicated lane from Oshodi to Abule Egba on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway would present another first-class transport infrastructure that would reduce travel time, cost and waiting time for public transportation.

“LAMATA had introduced the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) with an application, Lagos BRT app to assist commuters in planning their journeys and determine the arrival of buses at the various bus shelters.

“Lagos BRT is infrastructure project of the year with immense benefits to the movement of more than 60 million passengers since its completion in 2015.

“The 129 year old Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) recently awarded the Mile 12 to Ikorodu BRT project implemented by LAMATA the Infrastructure Project of the Year,” he added.

The managing director assured that residents would soon begin to see changes being introduced by LAMATA in bringing transport infrastructure to all parts of the state.

He said the BRT extension from Mile 12- Ikorodu Town was a median lane operation with restricted access to bus stations and pedestrian bridges and walkways.

According to him, the Mile 12 to Ikorodu BRT is an upgraded version of the Mile 12 to CMS BRT system, which was designed to convey an estimated 300,000 passengers daily using 434 high capacity buses with an average of 10 minutes headway frequency.

“The Mile 12 to Ikorodu Bus Rapid Transit “CLASSIC” System extension is conceived to compliment the already existing Mile 12 to CMS BRT system, which was the first in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“The system provides a high quality, high capacity and low-cost public transportation system operating on specialised infrastructure with adequate incentives to offer affordable mobility, sustainable urban environment and better quality of life to urban population.”

Dabiri said that infrastructure under the upgrade consists of additional 27 km of asphaltic lane for BRT operation, 54 km lane rehabilitation, provision of 18 bridges at nine different locations along the corridor with six pedestrian bridges.

The LAMATA boss said that about 15 bus shelters, three terminals and a bus depot/maintenance yard with a modern office space for the bus system and its staff were also upgraded.

 

Source: thenationonlineng.net

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