The Government of Taraba State, has concluded plans to procure mass transit buses to facilitate intra and inter-state movements as part of efforts to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal on the masses.
The state Commissioner for Transportation Development, Yakubu Samaila, told our correspondent in a telephone interview on Sunday that arrangements have been concluded to procure buses that will facilitate interstate movement and even across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state at a very subsidised rate.
“The state government has completed arrangements to procure metropolitan 33 and 52 seater buses to ease internal movements of people, especially workers and students within the Jalingo metropolis at a subsidised rate.
“Given the development, the Taraba State Ministry of Transportation Development has gone around Jalingo city and divided the capital city into five routes as well as demarcated some bus stops in strategic places to ease operations of the buses when they arrive.
“This project is to specifically help our pupils, students and the masses, as the effects of the subsidy removal continue to bite harder. We have, therefore, located most of the bus stops very close to public schools.
“His Excellency, Dr. Agbu Kefas wants education to be free and does not want the children to be trekking from their houses to schools because some may have accidents,” he said.
Yakubu said the ministry has concluded the designation of the bus stops and routes where people would stop and the buses would pick them up.
The Commissioner also revealed that his ministry had engaged market associations, transport unions and security agencies to ensure the smooth operation of the transport system.
On the resumption of flight operations at the Danbaba Suntai Airport, Yakubu said the state government has obtained provisional approval for six months for aircraft to land and take off from the airport and that Rano Air and Overland will resume flight operations at the airport by the end of September.
