The Lagos Bus Services Ltd. (LBSL) has transported about 60 million people in its five years of operation.
The Managing Director/ of LBSL, Mr Idowu Oguntona, disclosed this at a capacity building workshop for bus captains in Lagos on Friday.
Oguntona said that in spite of challenges in 2024, the company exceeded its target of transporting about 9.6 million and achieved over 10 million.
“Since commencement to date, we have moved roughly 60 million Lagos residents over the course of five years.
“That is the testament to the investment and commitment of the state in traffic management and transportation.
“We need to continue to expand our service offerings.
“Lagos has 23 to 26 million people. A lot of people need to get on this service.
“We are very confident that by the time we do what we need to do in terms of processes, training and operating guidelines, we will be there to ensure that we onboard many more people on the network,” he said.
He said that the company faced huge challenges in 2024 due to high cost of diesel and high foreign exchange rate.
“All of these significantly impacted on our financial and other operational issues that come our way on day-to-day basis.”
Oguntona expressed gratitude to Lagos State Government for support.
“We have a government that is committed to traffic management and transportation.
“Last year, we were able to add about five new routes.
“This year, we are hopeful that we will increase the routes,” he added.
The LBSL boss said that the company was committed to serving Lagos residents well.
“We have a responsibility of providing mobility to average of 10 million Lagos residents on a yearly basis; that is a huge responsibility, and it is not something that we are taking lightly.
“That is why we have made this commitment to ensure that we do not have anybody behind the steering of any of our buses that is not well-equipped technically, psychologically.
“We will also ensure that they drive with the best level of skill that is required and ensure that the services are affordable and accessible,” he said.