Nigeria, August 16, 2016 – Lagos state Government has restated its commitment to regulating the mile to mile taxi system in the state with a view to ensuring safety and security of passengers.
Explaining this at a press conference , the special adviser to the Governor on Transportation Prince Anofiu Olarewaju Elegushi stated that appropriate franchise system had been developed to ensure control and regulation within the sector.
He disclosed that the model adopted was a co-operative model involving franchise threshold of 50 vehicle at N100, 000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira).
Explaining further the Director of Public Transportation and Commuter Service, Mr. Olubunmi Odukoya, said the terms of taxi operations are contained in the Road Traffic law 2012 and subsequent regulation approved and released in January 2016.
While noting resistance and protest by some groups who wanted to pull out of their franchise, the Director said the State Government was not averse to any group or their interest by way of independence.
He added that the dictates of the policy was to ensure they hold a franchise and by implication a license.
Advising them to obtain a Franchise or join force with any of the Nine (9) already in existence, Odukoya insisted the regulation was in the overall interest of Lagosians.
Commenting also on “Kabukabu” and the ease with which people use their vehicle to provide taxi service, the Director noted that the enforcement arm of the State Government will soon begin to enforce the law.
He added that registration of Kabukabu is only to create a database.
He Noted that for any group to operate under a franchisee, such must have a minimum of fifty 50 vehicles, possess the adequate insurance facilities for both Vehicles and passengers alike, vehicle must also not be older than 12 years at the time of registration with all safety gargets available. Adding that the cost of getting Franchise is 5,000,000 Five million Naira which present the street values to 100,000.00.
It would be recalled that in April 2015 the Lagos State Government launched the new scheme which requires all Taxi operators to register their details with government before operating in the state according to regulation guiding taxi operation in the state. This he said is all in an effort to further improve the safety and security to commuters as they go about their business in Lagos.
He said the State Government has continued to dialogue with various groups to ensure that they are brought into the new taxi system.
