The
Lagos State Government has terminated the franchise it issued to the National
Union of Road Transport Workers to operate a Bus Rapid Transit scheme between
Mile 12 and CMS corridor of the state.
The
Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, on Thursday said the
government decided to terminate the franchise agreement because of non-compliance
with operational plans stipulated in the franchise by the First BRT Cooperative
(FBC), owned by the NURTW.
He
said, “The termination of the franchise agreement with the operator is sequel
to breaches of the BRT Service Level Agreement (SLA) it signed with the state
government. We have been talking with FBC for years to ensure the SLA was
adhered to, all to no avail.
“Though
the SLA requires a one-month notice prior to its termination, the Lagos
Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, custodian of the agreement, gave a
three-month notice, which the operator failed to honour.”
He
added that the government’s decision had been communicated to the operator,
saying the FBC lacked the ability to offer good public transport services to
commuters on the BRT corridor.
“This
has led to incessant complaints by members of the public over poor services
provided by the operator and the deployment of vehicles not safe for use.
“The
failure of the FBC to comply with the terms of the franchise agreement has led
to passengers experiencing poor service quality typified by extensive waiting
time and having to endure use of dilapidated and unsafe buses,” he added.
The
commissioner said that the breaches, which the operator had indulged in and
failed to remedy despite being notified of them, had made the state government
to decide to order the operator out of the corridor in the interest of the
public.
The
NURTW, however, pleaded with Ambode to prevail on LAMATA to rescind its
decision.
It
stated in a letter addressed to the governor that the action could lead to the
loss of jobs for 1,000 workers involved in the BRT operation.
The
letter, which was signed by the NURTW state Chairman, Mr. Tajudeen Agbede, also
noted that the union would find it difficult to fulfill a N1.6bn loan agreement
it entered into with Ecobank in 2014 to facilitate the purchase of 100 buses
for the scheme.
It
read in part, “Sir, we are pleading for your understanding on this situation.
We are ready to work with other operators on that corridor for the benefit of
Lagos commuters.”
Source:
The Punch
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