The Lagos State Government, alongside the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate the implementation of the Lagos State Bus Industry Transition Programme (BITP), a major step towards modernising public transportation in the state.
Describing the agreement as “a new beginning for public transport in Lagos,” the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Olawale Musa, said the MoU reflects the commitment of the state government and transport stakeholders to building a safer, more efficient and sustainable public transport system.
The Bus Industry Transition Programme, an initiative of the Lagos State Government being implemented by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), is designed to integrate informal commercial transport operators, including the iconic yellow danfo buses, into a structured, regulated and modern public transport network.
The agreement was signed by the Lagos State Chairman of RTEAN, Mr. Samson Ajala Adepeju, and the association’s Secretary, Bolaji Kawojue, alongside the Lagos State Chairman of NURTW, Alhaji Mustapha Adekunle Sego, and its Secretary, Comrade Usman O. Teslim. The Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olawale Musa, and the Managing Director of LAMATA, Engr. Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo, signed on behalf of the Lagos State Government.
The MoU establishes the framework and guiding principles for implementing the BITP and outlines the expected outcomes of the transition. It also provides the basis for granting bus operating franchises across the state’s eight Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs).
Under the new operational model, transport unions will adopt a cooperative governance structure to manage the transition of their members into franchise operators. The programme will also introduce a fully digital fare payment system to improve revenue collection, while LAMATA will provide regulatory oversight across all designated routes.
Four key Quality Bus Corridors currently under construction for the rollout of the integrated transport system include Iju-Ishaga–Abule Egba, Ketu–Alapere–Akanimodo, Iyana-Iba–Igando–Iyana-Ipaja and Ojuelegba–Lawanson–Cele.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Managing Director of LAMATA, Engr. Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo, described the agreement as the outcome of more than 30 months of sustained engagement and collaboration between the government and transport unions.
According to her, the successful integration of formal and informal transport operators has the potential to serve as a global model for cities seeking to modernise public transportation while ensuring that existing operators are not left behind.
“This will become a baseline for other cities because it will be a verifiable example of a handshake between the government and the unions,” she said.
Akinajo stressed that the formalisation of public transport should not be interpreted as an attempt to suppress or marginalise transport operators.
“Formalization should not be construed as strangulation. When we collaborate, the result will be formidable and capable of being replicated across other parts of Nigeria and in cities around the world that are seeking to formalize their public transport operations,” she added.
