Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki announced yesterday that the state government has placed orders for new CNG buses to expand its fleet for the state’s free public transportation program
The governor, who made this known in his Independence Day speech, noted that his administration is “taking critical steps within the limits of the resources available to it by initiating and implementing policies and programmes to respond to the recent fuel subsidy removal policy by the Federal Government.”
He added: “We have introduced free transport service for passengers on all routes, operated by Edo City Transport Service (ECTS), among many support programmes that the state government has put in place to reduce the challenge, sufferings and exorbitant cost of living faced by Edo people.
“We are glad with the salutary impact of this initiative, which covers 13 intra-city routes and several intercity city routes daily, covering towns and villages within the state’s three senatorial districts.”
“Over 300, 000 residents have benefited from the scheme in the first two weeks of the palliative programme, while over 1.5 million residents are projected to benefit in the initial two months of the free transport initiative. We have placed new orders for additional CNG-run buses to increase the fleet.”
Regarding additional steps taken to alleviate the impact of the hardship caused by elevated transport costs, he said that: “We also launched a 24-hour free Wi-Fi service in various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and other public places in the state to provide unlimited internet access to workers and other residents to work effectively and efficiently from selected public spaces.”