The Abia State Government has taken delivery of 20 more electric buses – as part of the about 100 it plans to procure – in a bid to ease public transportation at affordable fare.
Besides, the government plans to operate the service across the State and beyond.
Governor Alex Otti, who announced this during his July monthly interaction with Journalists in Umuahia, said the latest delivery of the 20 electric buses would be deployed to operate more routes across the State at subsidized tariffs/fares.
The buses commenced operation on some routes at fares about 60% less than the fares charged by commercial vehicles.
But to qualify to board the buses, members of the public are to fulfill some pre-conditions that include registration as government statutory levy payers.
The governor listed some tentative new routes the new buses will be deployed to as: Umuahia–Bende– Arochukwu; Umuahia-Uturu (the State University town), Umuahia–Umudike-Ikwuano, Aba-Owerri (in Imo State), and Aba to Ukwa, among others.
The governor said that surveillance systems have been installed in the buses to monitor drivers and improve accountability, reporting that one Bus Pilot and his Co-Pilot who were found to have engaged in some illegal activities were disengaged from service; hence, he warned others against indulging in similar tempting activities.
On the building of the Aba Bus Terminal similar to the one at Umuahia, which was named Nnenna Oti – the immediate former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) – Governor Otti told journalists that work is progressing steadily, adding that the first phase of the modelling of the Aba Ekeoha Market will be completed and commissioned soon.