Like DisCos, BRT operators mull hike in service fees

The Managing Director of Primero Transport Services Limited, Fola Tinubu, said on Tuesday the company is planning an upward review of transport fares across all routes in the state to meet up with current realities.

Primero Transport Services Limited is the operator of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos.

Tinubu, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists in Lagos, said the current fares were grossly inadequate if the firm was to provide better services for people of the state.

According to him, cost of operating the buses had increased significantly, and that the firm is finding it difficult to sustain its operations.

He said: “Primero is planning to approach the regulator for an increase in fares. The last increase we got was done three years ago and our cost of operations has really increased.

“The company is not in a good financial standing now to run and foot cost of maintenance and operation of buses.

“We understand the need to provide services to the people; I think the increase has become necessary in order to serve the people of Lagos better.

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“With the increase, we will be able to roll out enough buses to meet the need of the state’s teeming commuters.’’

He said the current fares across routes were no longer sustainable for running the buses, and it had become imperative for the firm to meet with the regulator.

Tinubu said the firm has already concluded plans to meet with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), the regulator of BRT, to push for the review.

If the proposed increase sails through, it will be the second time the BRT operators had increased the fares since the service came on stream in 2007.

The first was in 2017 when the fares were increased from N70 and N120 to N100 and N200 respectively.

It will also be the second major increase by service providers less than one week after the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved the hike in electricity tariff proposed by the electricity distribution companies (DisCos).

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