The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) says its partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and affiliate unions is delivering results in transforming transport across Nigeria’s commercial capital.
LAMATA Managing Director, Abimbola Akinajo, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise programme on Saturday, said yellow buses – popularly known as danfos – still carry most Lagos commuters, and scrapping them is unlikely.
“It is not about discarding what exists,” Akinajo explained. “We work with the yellow buses because if you don’t engage with them, you cannot talk about regulation. They are the ones who move the majority of Lagosians.”
She noted that LAMATA’s Bus Industry Transition Programme was designed to integrate informal operators into a structured system. “It is a vision to bring the formal and informal together. We understand their needs, and they understand ours,” she said.
According to Akinajo, transport unions already operate one of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes successfully, drawing on decades of experience running Lagos transport.
“What Lagos is doing is exposing them to what it means to deliver regulated services. They are beginning to understand this, and we are seeing dividends,” she added.