Ban on mini buses operation commences today

The implementation of the feeder routes operation for mini buses across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) commences today.
Under the new transport policy, mini buses, popularly called ‘araba,’ are banned from operating in many parts of the city centre but can only operate on some feeder routes.
Secretary, FCT Transport Secretariat, Engr. Jonathan Ivoke, said henceforth mini buses will only operate on specified feeder routes within the territory.
He gave the name of the feeder routes as Mombassa-Micheal Okpara-Olusegun Obasanjo-MKO Abiola-Area One; Area One-Gudu-Apo Mechanic village and Jabi-Mbora-Kaura-Gudu Market.
Other routes include Jabi-Mbora-Suncity-Apo Mechanic village, Jabi-Mbora-Lugbe, Gwarinpa-Life Camp entrance-1st gate, Bwari town-Dutse Alhaji Expressway ONEX, Kubwa 2nd gate-1st gate and Mpape-M/Mohd Expressway junction.
Engr. Ivoke said from today, no unlicensed taxi would be allowed to operate within the city.
However, the new transport policy seems not to have gone down well with many vehicle owners and drivers operating in the territory as they staged a peaceful protest that took them to the National Assembly where they complained against what they termed ill-timed, unpopular and inhuman policy of the FCT Transport Secretariat to ban mini-bus in some designated areas in the FCT.
The protesters, who came under the auspices of FCT transporters unions, urged FCTA to visit Lagos State and learn from their modern and decent transportation policy.
National Secretary of the union, Prince Charles Ikwuagbu, who led the protesting transporters, last Tuesday, said that the transporters are not in support of the policy and are of the opinion that government should first concern itself with the full establishment of transport infrastructures such as functional railway system, designated bus stops, tariffs, motor parks or terminal, effective traffic regulation, regime palliative for drivers/owners etc.
“Should all these preliminary structures be put on ground, government can then consult the field drivers and original owners of these vehicles with a view to realizing and achieving a smooth and result-oriented transport system in the city. We also feel that since the government has chosen to emulate what obtains in other places, they should have gone to Lagos state to study the mode of implementation of the BRT operations in conjunction with other private operators and stakeholders in the transport sector in the state,” he said.
He urged the FCT Administration to do a proper re-think on the hardship Abuja residents passed through between January 14 and 15 this year because of  “reckless and insensitive”  implementation of this  policy as most of them had to trek miles before they could board a vehicle.
Responding, Senate Committee Chairman on FCT, Senator Smart Adeyemi, who received the protesters, said efforts will be made to give the policy a human face.
When contacted on phone yesterday, the Marketing and Communications Manager of the Abuja Urban Mass Transportation Company, Mr. Tunde Akintola, said his company, as one of the major stakeholders in the implementation of the new policy, is ready and has all it takes to deliver on the confidence reposed on it.
He pleaded with the residents to be calm, patient and orderly, adding that there are enough high capacity buses for the residents.



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