Reps urge FG to resuscitate urban mass transit scheme

The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, urged the Federal Government to resuscitate its urban mass transit scheme with a view to making transportation affordable and accessible as a social right to all Nigerians.

This followed the adoption of a motion of Rep Aniekan Umanah at the plenary.

While moving the motion, Rep Umanah said that the Urban Mass Transit Scheme was established by the Federal Government in 1989 to ameliorate transportation challenges in Nigeria.

The lawmaker also noted that the objectives of the scheme were to moderate the national urban transit scheme; alleviate the problems of urban commuters and the general masses as well as lay the foundation for organised mass transit in Nigeria.

He said the scheme helped to reduce the overriding gap between increasing public transport demand and the decreasing supply in the transport market.

The lawmaker, however, expressed concerns that the Mass Transport Scheme failed due to factors such as poor management and lack of strict processes, which weakened its sustainability.

He said millions of commuters across the country still experience difficulties in commuting due to insufficient mass transit vehicles thus exposing them to grave dangers such as harassment, kidnappings, and robbery, among other things, hence, the need to revive the urban mass transit scheme.

The House after adopting the motion, mandated its Committee on Land Transport to liaise with relevant stakeholders with a view to establishing policy frameworks that would further improve the transportation sector and report back within six weeks for further legislative action.

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