Lagos to phase-out danfo buses by 2018

Governor Akinwumi Ambode has revealed the Lagos state government’s plan to phase-out danfo buses in the next six months.

Ambode said that the state has acquired 5,000 buses that will heal ease the transportation challenges of residents as the danfo buses are phased out.

The Governor said this while speaking with students of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, United States of America who paid him a courtesy visit.

According to Daily Post, Ambode said “In the last one year, we have decided that we must integrate rail, road, water and air transportation systems in such a way that the system of connectivity is improved upon and I would like to have a direct partnership on how that can actually be actualised.

“Right now, we are cleaning out all the yellow buses you see in the state. As we proceed in the next six months and a span of three years, we are introducing 5,000 new buses of European standard to actually clean up the city, because, if you want to grow the economy of Lagos, transportation is key and then it’s a major infrastructure for tourism itself.

“The question is: How do you move 23 million people on a daily basis from point A to point B with ease and comfort? So, the way the city has been so designed in the last few years, the city has actually concentrated on only one mode of transportation, which is road transportation.

“There are eight million people walking on the streets of Lagos every minute, did we create more points for them? The answer is ‘no’. We have one-fifth of the state on water, are we doing effective water transportation? The answer is ‘no’.

“The rail system is still under construction in such a way that it can move mass number of people from one point to another. That is why we have a whole lot of congestion on the road.”

Meanwhile bus conductors in Lagos state have finalised arrangements for their members to start wearing uniforms and name-tags.