According to a statement from Bolanle Ogunlola, Director of Public Affairs at the Ministry of Transport, the Lagos State government has reaffirmed its commitment to integrating minibuses and mid-sized buses, commonly known as “korope” and “danfo,” into the Bus Reform Initiative along the Lekki-Ajah region.
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Transportation, Mr. Sola Giwa, shared this update during a stakeholder meeting in Alausa on Wednesday.
Giwa explained that the project is currently in the planning phase and will begin once all preparations are finalized. He noted that the Ministry of Transportation has already received letters of intent from 10 bus operators and has begun the documentation process, with six operators confirmed for participation.
Giwa also mentioned that “participating buses will undergo physical inspections by the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) and the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA) to confirm their roadworthiness and proper documentation. Once approved, the buses will be branded with Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) colors and fitted with e-ticketing validators.”
Giwa also revealed that the framework will incorporate union dues deductions into the e-ticketing system and tackle issues such as the extortion of transporters by hoodlums along the Lekki-Ajah axis. The initiative will be sampled for three months before fully implementing it. During this phase, minibuses (korope) will no longer operate on the Lekki-Ajah expressway but will serve inner routes and communities.
The meeting was attended by key officials, including the Permanent Secretary of the MVAA, Rasheed Muri-Okunola, General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, and representatives from LAMATA, LASDRI, VIS, and other transport stakeholders.
Having read this, we would like to hear your thoughts and takes on this development. Will it work? Will it crumble before it even takes off? Will the “local tax collectors” be okay with the proposed change?
