The Lagos Bus Services Ltd. (LBSL) has transported more than 52 million people in the past five years.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LBSL, Idowu Oguntona, disclosed on Friday in Lagos during a fitness walk organised by the organisation. The walk was part of activities to mark the organisation’s five years of operation.
Oguntona said that daily, the company provided mobility for 60,000 Lagos residents, adding that it had covered over 27 million kilometres.
“We started in 2019 with just five routes, and under the five years, with the commitment of the governor, those five routes have since turned to 19 routes, giving people options across the whole of Lagos State.
“In addition to that, we started with about 50 buses, but the governor, keeping his promises to Lagos residents, has scaled the buses to 300.
“What the governor promised in terms of providing reliable, efficient and safe public transportation has happened, and that is why we feel that there is need to celebrate the achievements of this company,” he said.
The LBSL boss added that the organisation’s academy had trained 2,000 Lagos residents and equipped them with skills to be able to secure jobs. The managing director said that the company had committed workers.
“As early as 5:00 am, buses leave the post. The captains that will man the buses leave their homes as early as 4:00 am to get to the station to provide transportation for early risers in Lagos.
“The last bus does not come in until past eleven in the night.
“This is not also the end of the service because, as people are sleeping, that is the time mechanical work happens on the buses. The buses are washed and fueled to be ready for the next day,” he added.
He said that workers could get so soaked in their jobs that they might not pay attention to their health.
“We decided to promote the wellness, a health walk, and beyond that, we are checking their vitals – blood pressure, sugar level – to ensure they are sound,” he stated.
He said that being a socially responsible organisation, LBSL carried out corporate social responsibilities within communities and recognised the efforts of hardworking staff.
“All of these achievements are because of the policy of the government in ensuring that there is a sustainable and well-integrated public transportation which we keyed into.
“Going forward, there is much to expect, and in keeping in line with the vision of President Bola Tinubu on a blue economy, it means that public transportation will be running on clean energy, leveraging the huge gas possibility that we have to power our locomotive.
“We will de-carbonise our fleets so that we will be environment-friendly. Lagos residents will see buses with compressed natural gas and electric engines.
“We have started a pilot with the private sector under the leadership of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority to see how the buses can adapt to our environment,” he noted.
The managing director said that Lagos residents should expect wider coverage.
“Currently, we have about 33 routes, we want all Lagosians to have these options, to have a feel of what government is doing to ensure full social inclusion,” he said.
He regretted that the company lost about 55 buses to the Endsars protest of October 2020. He, however, said that the company had recovered through the commitment, doggedness and resilience of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The state Commissioner of Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said that the movement of goods and services was an integral part of the T.H.E.M.E.S Plus Agenda of the state government.
“We have an ever-growing number in Lagos when it comes to population.
“Seven or eight years ago, we were talking about seven million people. Today, we have about 24 million, and this gave birth to our intermodal transportation system.
“Inland, we are intentional in moving people, and over time, we will be doing a lot of re-routing in high-capacity routes.”
