By Muhammad Muhammad
Kano state government has given 50 Toyota Corolla cars to tricycle and commercial taxis operators for public transport system in the metropolis.
SOLACEBASE reports that the offer of the new metropolitan commercial taxis came less than 24 hours after government announced restriction of tricycle operations on selected highways and business districts.
Although the state government later on Wednesday evening, suspended the tricycle operations restriction order, according to it , due to public outcry.
Addressing journalists during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between government and leadership of tricycle and taxis operators, managing director, Kano State Investment and Properties Ltd, Dr. Jubrilla Mohammad said the intervention is to ease pain of commuters as a result of the restriction placed on tricycles.
Dr. Mohammad who explained the intention of government to transform Kano into mega city requires a reformation of its public transport system, which warranted restriction of tricycle operations in some areas of the metropolis.
He said government through his agency has introduced the first batch of 50 commercial taxis and 100 Mass Transport Buses to replace the withdrawal of tricycles on the selected routes.
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While dotting the MoU, Mohammad noted that each vehicle is purchased at the sum of N3.7 million and would be sold for hire purchase model at the sum of N4.5 million. He emphasized that parties agreed that temporary owner would make initial payment of N250,000 while the total sum must be remitted by instalment in three years.
“The intervention is to reduce congestion, sanitize the transportation system and proliferation of commercial tricycles within the metropolis. You will recall that government has placed restriction on commercial tricycles on some roads. So the introduction of the Taxis is to replace the gap.
“As government agency we are entrusted to invest on the transport system to alleviate the pain of the people. The owners will fill agreement form to manage it responsibly. It is important to note that operations of the taxis are within the metropolis. Any drive that take the car outside the metropolis would be detected and prosecuted because there is tracker attached”. Dr. Mohammad noted.
On the deployment of Mass Buses, Vice chairman Kano Metropolitan Transport Company, Yusuf Aliyu Yakasai said government invested N2.6 billion to purchase 100 buses.
Yakasai who intimated that passengers are required to make transport fare electronically added that 18, 000 automated smart Card for payment have been disbursed to residents.
He said the mass transit buses will commence full commercial service effective from Thursday first of December with conveyance of passengers from eight routes between 6.30am to 8pm daily.
Some of the routes earmarked for the buses and cars include Jogana, Tokarawa, Hadeija and Mandubawa Batta axis; Kabuga down to Batta; Janguza, BUK new site, Kabuga and Batta, among other routes.
Besides, Yakasai explained that some of the buses will also be deployed to Yusuf Maitama Sule University, BUK road, KUST Wudil, and Saadatu Rimin College on Zaria road to ease transport challenges of the students.
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