Lagos State Government has warned intra-state commercial bus operators to ensure their vehicles are painted in red or yellow with black stripes or else they will be impounded.
The General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Bolaji Oreagba, gave the warning at the weekend in Oshodi.
He said the agency would begin an enforcement exercise on unpainted commercial vehicles from today across the state.
Oreagba said the warning was to ensure commercial bus operators, especially those on intra-state services, complied with the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018 to restore sanity to the roads and protect the lives and property of Lagosians.
He said ‘danfo’ and ‘korope’ buses should be painted in yellow with black stripes, while mass transit buses with two doors are to be painted in approved red colour by operators.
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Oreagba said buses that had been authorised to ply Victoria Island and its environs with an approved colour must be registered through the established offices.
The general manager urged commercial bus operators to comply with the directive in their own interest, saying LASTMA officers had been directed to impound any commercial bus not painted in the approved colour and any vehicle impounded would not be released until the needful was done in accordance with the Law.
“All commercial buses must be duly registered with commercial number plate and hackney permits issued by the appropriate authority in Lagos. Also, shuttle buses must henceforth restrict their operations to their ‘approved’ areas of coverage, as anyone caught outside their jurisdiction will be arrested and charged to court,” he said.
Oreagba advised intra-state commercial bus operators to desist from violating traffic rules such as illegal parking, loading or discharging of passengers at unapproved bus stops, driving without seat belts, driving on kerbs/medians/walkways, BRT corridors, driving against traffic, illegal U-turn and obstructions, among others.