BRT operators face hard times, services threatened

Primero Transport Services Ltd ., operator of the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit ( BRT) may withdraw its services on May 25 ( tomorrow), due to logistics problems and other issues, an authoritative source disclosed on Friday. The source said that the company might likely run out of diesel and other supplies that would likely disrupt BRT operations. “Primero is planning to withdraw all its buses from the road from May 25. The company is running out of diesel. “Suppliers have not been supplying diesel fully because the firm is owing them. The company is currently running at a loss. “Primero will run out of supply of diesel and other supplies by Monday. So it is not likely the buses will run,” the source re-stated. Efforts to talk with the managing director of the company, Fola Tinubu, on the development were not successful. On May 15, there was shortage of BRT buses across various routes leading to long queues and extended waiting time at BRT stations in Lagos. BRT users have been complaining over the shortage of buses since the easing of the current lockdown on May 4. On May 15, Tinubu said: “the way we are operating now is as if we are just running a social service for the people. “Twenty passengers in the bus on the same old fare is not sustainable. We are piling up losses that we need to address urgently. “Creditors are calling us. We need to address that urgently. The way it is now is not sustainable. “That was why we have limited buses on the roads. Every bus that is going up and down now is incurring losses.” The Lagos State government had directed the 70-capacity buses to carry only 21 passengers as part of measures to check the spread of COVID-19. NAN