On Tuesday, 18th May, Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu at a well attended ceremony launched the state’s First and Last Mile (FLM) buses along with 100 high and medium capacity buses for standard routes.
The event which was held at the Sports ground, Lagos House in Ikeja saw over FLM buses assembled in Lagos
unveiled.
The state’s FLM buses is intended to serve commuters around 286 identified routes within communities as an alternative to the popular motorcycles popularly called Okada which according to the state government poses a huge security threat to riders.
Cashless Transportation
Usage of the buses is expected to be cashless as commuters are expected to use Cowry Travel Cards, an automated payment system which is already in use for the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) buses.
The State government says it has delineated the FLM bus corridors into eight zones, comprising Ikeja and Ketu (Zone 1), Oshodi, Mushin, and Surulere (Zone 2), Berger, Yaba and Oyingbo (Zone 3) and Lagos Island, Ajah and Ibeju Lekki (Zone 4).
Others are Iyana-ipaja and Agege (Zone 5), Mile 2, Iyana-Iba and Ajeromi (Zone 6), Ikorodu (Zone 7) and Epe and Badagry (Zone ).
According to the governor, the FLM buses will be increased to 5000 in the days ahead adding that 100 brand new high and medium capacity buses were added into the fleet of the Lagos Bus Services Limited to replace BRT buses burnt at the stations during the violence that erupted following the EndSARS protest last year.
Matters Arising
With an estimated population of 17.5 million as at 2012 and a land mass of 3,577 km² one of the things the nation’s commercial capital probably does not have enough of is space.
Many have argued the introduction of the FLM buses may not totally eradicate the challenge of quick transportation in the country which the Okadas have before now provided.
For one, Okada due to their size ensured that they could navigate way more easily within heavy traffic build-up thus getting riders faster to destinations. With the First and Last Mile (FLM) buses however, it appears the scenario may not change and only time can tell how Lagosians are going to respond to this new transport initiative.
