Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, commissioned the Yaba Bus Terminal, a new transportation infrastructure, four years after the project was conceived.
Yaba is considered a melting pot of commerce, technology and academic in Lagos State.
The bus station, built by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), as part of the Bus Reform Initiative of the state government, is an ancillary infrastructure that will complement the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line currently being constructed by the Sanwo-Olu administration along Yaba corridor.
The terminal will connect to the Red Metro station to facilitate an integrated mass transit and seamless connectivity among all means of land transportation.
Speaking at the event, Governor Sanwo-Olu observed that the delivery of the infrastructure, a world-class terminal from which buses will originate and terminate, became a priority for his government to boost the efficiency of public transportation service on the axis, saying that the complementary rail line would be ready in the next 18 months and would give commuters options to choose the transportation mode they would prefer to get to their destinations.
“Yaba corridor is a prominent feature in the Lagos State Transportation Master Plan because of its peculiar nature as a melting pot of commercial, technological and academic activities. The city’s evolution over the years places enormous responsibility on the government to ensure that its dynamism and growth are sustained through balanced development.
“The facility being commissioned today is a world-class terminal from which buses will originate and terminate. In the next 18 months, this bus terminal will be integrated with the Yaba station of the Red Metro Line that is being constructed close to the terminal. The Yaba Bus Terminal reflects our vision for regulated bus services, which the state government currently champions through Traffic Management and Transportation pillar of our T.H.E.M.E.S agenda,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said transportation in the corridor would be supported by the recently launched First and Last Mile (FLM) Bus – a community-based transportation scheme that would take passengers from the inner routes to the major transit corridors to join either the rail or BRT buses to their destinations.
The governor said that his administration, in the last two years, had been working to deliver transportation infrastructure that supports the state economy, urging residents to take ownership of the project and protect the bus station from vandalism.
“All projects being delivered by the government are being provided for the public good. It is our collective responsibility to protect these assets. If anyone notices any abnormality, do not hesitate to say something about it. It is our civic duty to report wrongdoing and the destruction of public infrastructure to the security agencies and government officials for prompt action,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladehinde, in his remark, noted the Yaba Bus Station was the third to be delivered by Governor Sanwo-Olu, disclosing that three new terminals in Ojota, Ajah and Ifako-Ijaiye would be added to public transportation assets before the end of the year.
According to Oladeinde, the state government is providing bus services into communities that are far away from the main transit corridors to cushion the effects of restrictions of the operations of commercial motorcycles and tricycles in areas where they are banned by the government.
Also speaking, LAMATA Managing Director, Mrs Abimbola Akinajo, hailed Sanwo-Olu for the commitment and priority he accorded to the completion of the project, saying the facility would provide modal choices to residents traversing the corridor.
Akinajo said the Yaba Bus Terminal had a loading and off-loading bay for up to 15 medium and four high-capacity buses per loading time, and a stable for 20 high-capacity buses.
“The white Teflon covering being a waterproof fabric gives the terminal a unique look,” she said.
The terminal’s administrative building comprises of the control room, ticketing and sitting area, restaurant with kitchenette, commercial stores, passenger information display board, ATM point and sit-out area, while the operation routes of the bus terminal include Lawanson-Itire Ijesha-Cele, Iyana-Ipaja, Berger, Ikeja, Akoka and Oyingbo.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
CLAIM 1: A Twitter user claims UNICEF said any efforts to block children from accessing pornography might infringe their human rights.Sanwo-Olu delivers Yaba bus terminal to boost public transportation services
Sanwo-Olu delivers Yaba bus terminal to boost public transportation services
and then