Abuja- Mr Musa Shehu, the National President, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), has assured commuters in the FCT of improved transportation.
Shehu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that the association was concerned over commuters’ daily struggle for vehicles to return home at the close of work .
According to him, RTEAN is expecting some high capacity buses to be used for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, adding that arrangements had also been made to procure 300 taxis from Nissan.
“I was one of those that challenged the former minister that one cannot give what one does not have. You are not supposed to stop all those vehicles when you did not bring vehicles to replace them.
“I feel for people when they close in the evening and leave home early in the morning looking for vehicles and finding few or no vehicles at all.
“This will be over soon because anytime from now, we are expecting 100 high capacity buses that we are going to use for BRT and we have made arrangements to get 300 taxis from Nissan.
“We have been given operational licences to run the BRT, taxis and the mini-buses for interstate travels, but we have not been given the route that the BRT will operate.”
Shehu said the association had been given the licence to operate in Lagos, Enugu and the FCT, adding that the inauguration would take place before the end of the month.
He said that 50 high capacity buses and 200 taxis would be put in the FCT with a view to alleviating the difficulty of commuters within the city.
The RTEAN president, while commenting on insurance scheme for accident victims, said the association was not charging extra for insurance.
According to him, the money is actually deducted from the actual fare.
He said that the association had to terminate its contract with the former insurance company because it had proved to be unreliable, having only paid insurance to one victim in Kaduna.
He identified the new company handling the contract now Nujuum Insurance Limited, adding that they had signed on for a period of four years.
Shehu said the association had warned its members nationwide not to increase transport fares because of the Sallah festival. (NAN)