Love him or loathe him, Malam Nasir el-Rufai brought some relief to FCT residents before he left office as minister of the territory. El-Rufai, now governor of Kaduna State, introduced what is fondly called the El-Rufai buses. They are cheap, neat and air-conditioned.
People who could not cope with costly petrol preferred them to their personal vehicles. But there is a problem: the buses are fast disappearing. Why? Diesel used in running them is also becoming too costly.
The buses were commissioned in 2005 to provide subsidised services to residents of the FCT. Managed by a Transport company called Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company (AUMTCO) and the buses are co-owned by some private investors.
Interestingly, the high capacity buses owned by government are clearly marked while those of the private investors are not so marked, except a few of them belonging to Trade Unions and a few other agencies.
These buses are usually stationed in different parts of the FCT to ferry passengers to their destination from such places like Gwagwalada, Zuba, Kubwa, Berger, Nyanya, Madalla among others.
People who live as far as Suleja, Niger State or Nyanya in Nasarawa State but work in the FCT prefer commuting with these buses because of the belief that buses are cheaper and more comfortable.
Some residents who use these buses told Abuja Review that they choose them because they are highly subsidised and cost them between N50 and N100 to get to their destination depending on the distance while the cabs would take them for at least N200 or N250.
Asiwaju Williams, a resident of Madalla who patronized the buses told Abuja Review that he prefers using the buses every morning.
He said, “I come all the way from Madalla in Niger State to Wuse every morning using the ‘El-Rufai’ bus. I prefer these buses because they are usually air-conditioned.
“There are strict regulations about hawking goods and services, preaching and overcrowding compared to the private owned buses. Their drivers are well-dressed and they operate in a co-ordinated manner.”
On the other hand, Awodele Oladele, a National Youth Service Corps member resident in Abaji on the border between the FCT and Kogi State, said the buses are usually a big relief considering the high cost of living in the FCT.
However, the buses have begun to gradually disappear from the road and residents are not finding it funny. Sometimes, the buses are parked at the bus stop without the drivers, while the people wait endlessly.
A car dealer who identified himself as Okon Chukwuemeka is at a loss as to why several of the buses are parked, leaving the people stranded. Investigation however revealed that this may not be unconnected with the increase in the cost of running them.
The Head of Marketing and Communications of AUMTCO, Mr. Tunde Akintola attributed this to the increase in the price of diesel and the unchanged bus fare despite the hike.
“The rise in price of diesel has been an issue of serious concern to the organisation. When we were buying diesel for N 125, we were charging N50 and N100 for the bus fare and now that it is N270 we are still charging at the same price and practically, we are running at a loss,” he said.
Akintola added that the only option the company had to keep their services running is to cut down on the buses used to convey passengers. He however suggested that the bus fare should be increased in a manner that would be fair to the people and the company.
Some residents who spoke with the reporter believe that the FCT administration can address the situation by introducing some low profile vehicles to ply some of the routes that the buses cannot ply.
Damilola Comfort advised that they could delegate low capacity buses within the federal capital such that they could take over the routes ‘Keke-Napep and Okada’ are found and also maintain the buses used for far distance commutation of residents.
In so doing, it would generate more profit for the organization and provide better safety for Abuja inhabitants by reducing road deaths when ‘Keke-Napep and Okada’ are off the road.
Also, Ibrahim Wahab said, “The Transport Company should look for a way to have negotiation or make arrangements with oil companies to reduce the price of diesel even as the company re- employs the parked buses found at their location.”
