Worried by the unsavoury transportation situation in Lagos State despite government’s efforts to ameliorate the suffering of commuters, a privately-owned company, Primero Transport Services Limited, has decided to join forces with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) in alleviating the transportation problems of commuters.
Briefing reporters on the activities of the company at its corporate office at the BRT Depot, Majidun Awori Ikorodu Road, Lagos the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Mr Fola Tinubu said Primero Transport Services Limited was established two years ago to operate the BRT buses from Ikorodu to CMS.
He stated that after a thorough study of the business plan, the company was able to raise funds to procure 434 buses from China to help move commuters from one point to the other.
Satisfied with the level of achievement within a short time of its operation, he said: “We are not where we want to be yet. But we are satisfied that in a short time of operation, we have contributed immensely to the movement of people from Ikorodu to CMS and towns contiguous to them.”
Being modest, he attributed whatever success the company has recorded to the vision of the Lagos State government and the efficient management acumen of LAMATA.
Mr Tinubu said: “There’s no secret in the achievement we’ve recorded so far. The credit should go to the Lagos State Government and LAMATA, because they came up with the BRT scheme.
“We saw a good business opportunity and we decided to explore it. Basically, we believe we can change the paradigm in transportation in Nigeria. The way to change the paradigm is to provide clean, fast, comfortable and efficient services at a reasonable cost for the people. So far, it’s working.
“If there is clean, fast, efficient and comfortable public transportation system, most road users would use it, thereby leaving their cars at home. When this happens, the road will not be too chaotic as we have them today.
“We want to ensure that we provide efficient services so that most people would leave their cars at home and use public transportation system instead of everybody driving each day; a situation that engenders traffic congestion on the roads,” Tinubu said.
Explaining how Primero Transport Services Limited began, he said: “It’s an opportunity that has been there untapped. After our analyses that the venture would be worthwhile, we embraced it. We first did our business plans and approached some investors who decided to back us. We also had loans from banks and credit facilities from the manufacturers of the buses. The business is worth N10 billion.”
Satisfied that the government, through LAMATA, has put in place world-class infrastructural facilities, especially on the Ikorodu-Ketu-Mile 12 Road for smooth operation of the BRT; Mr Tinubu said: “Before now, the Mile 12- Ikorodu Road was in terrible condition and movement literally takes forever. Now, the road is world-class. The infrastructure that Lagos State government has put in place is what made our business easier and worthwhile.”
Dismissing fears that the company’s buses or services would peter out, he said the project is very sustainable.
“If the project is not sustainable, the banks wouldn’t have granted us loan facility to operate the business. Again, investors are keen to get returns for their money. It is my job to ensure that the project does not fail.
“The Imo State Commissioner for Transportation came on tour of our facilities. She was impressed by our performance and promised that the governor would come for discussions,” he said.
Mr Tinubu said the company is thinking of establishing a plant that will assemble the vehicles in Nigeria, saying “Primero is discussing with the manufacturers to set up an assembly plant in Lagos to assemble the vehicles here and build the buses from the scratch.”
Debunking insinuations that products from China are substandard and therefore not durable, Mr Tinubu argued that it is all about the kind of agreement reached in terms of specifications.
Assuring the public of the company’s avowal to render world-class services, he said: “Before the buses were manufactured, Primero insisted on the specifications given to the manufacturers concerning quality.
“The buses are quite durable. We didn’t pick them off the shelf but manufactured according to our own specifications.”
He revealed that Primero was given the sole right to operate on the BRT lane.
“Nobody but Primero has the right to use the BRT lanes. We are talking with the regulatory authority because we were specifically given the right to use the BRT lanes. From Ikorodu to Mile 12, nobody uses the lanes but us. It’s from Ketu to CMS that we want LAMATA to enforce the necessary laws to enable us to use the lanes exclusively,” he said.
Justifying the fares paid by the public, Mr Tinubu said they are fair enough that an average passenger could afford.
He, however, said: “If Nigerians want to enjoy services that are world-class, we have to be ready to pay for them because there is no free lunch anywhere in the world. But it is wrong for people to pay for services that are not rendered or poorly rendered.”
He sounded hopeful that in the next five years, there would be up to 3,000 buses on the fleet of Primero Transport Services Limited.
Reeling off some of the challenges the company experiences, Mr Tinubu regretted the incessant fluctuation of the Naira and the high Forex rate. He also lamented the high import duty paid, adding that to go forward, there is need to set up an assembly plant in Lagos which will reduce the huge amount of money paid as duty.
He also said getting good and competent drivers is another challenge.
On training, Mr Tinubu revealed that the company had reached an agreement on staff training, even as he said six Chinese are in the state training some of the technicians.
“But as a long-term measure, the firm has the vision to establish a standard private driving school where anybody can learn how to drive articulated vehicles such as buses and trailers. This is necessary because, if we plan to have up to 3,000 vehicles in future, we need to have a school where we will train our drivers.
How environmentally friendly are these vehicles? Mr Tinubu disclosed that Primero was aware of the danger of climate change and environmental degradation. It was based on this realisation, he said, and to guard against environmental pollution that Primero insisted that the manufacturers should make the vehicles environmentally-friendly. We are happy they complied with our directive.
On its contribution in solving unemployment problem, Mr Tinubu hinted that Primero Transport Services has contributed immensely towards proving employment opportunities for Lagosian.
“There are 900 drivers on our employ. We have also employed mechanics, technicians and cleaners. In all, over 2,000 jobs have been created since the inception of the company six months ago,” he said.
