The Ekiti government has commenced the deployment of 15 compressed natural gas buses as part of measures to cushion the effect of high transport costs on residents.

This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Friday by the special adviser to the governor on media, Yinka Oyebode.

Governor Biodun Oyebanji, accompanied by Senate leader Opeyemi Bamidele, flagged off the distribution of the buses at the Ekiti State Transportation Agency premises in Ado-Ekiti.

Mr Oyebanji said the deployment, which coincided with Nigeria’s Independence Day and the 30th anniversary of the creation of Ekiti, was part of efforts to reduce transportation costs in line with the directive of President Bola Tinubu.

He said Ekiti commenced the process of reducing transport fares by 50 per cent through the rollout of the buses donated by the federal government.

The governor said his administration would continue to take measures to reduce the economic burden on residents.

Mr Oyebanji added that the state would expand the fleet to enable more people to benefit from the initiative. The governor lauded Mr Tinubu for the intervention, saying the provision of the buses would contribute significantly to reducing the transportation burden on the people.

He said the initiative demonstrated the commitment of the federal and Ekiti governments to improving the welfare of citizens through affordable and accessible public transportation.

Mr Oyebanji urged transport unions to ensure that the benefits of the CNG-powered buses were transferred to commuters, stressing that the initiative was designed to reduce transportation costs by 50 per cent.

He said the government would monitor the implementation to ensure that residents derived the intended benefits from the programme.

The governor, who also inspected some ongoing projects in different parts of the state, commended the economic policies of the Tinubu administration, saying they provide more resources for states to implement programmes and projects with direct impact on the people.

Mr Oyebanji said the president challenged governors to find ways at reducing transportation costs from October 1, noting that the deployment of the 15 buses is a pilot phase of the initiative.

He said the buses would be distributed to transport unions, while the Ekiti transportation agency would oversee the operations.

The director-general of the agency, Tajudeen Akingbolu, said routes mapped out for the CNG-powered buses to operate from Ado-Ekiti to Lagos, Ibadan, Onitsha and Abuja.

He said the initiative would provide residents with more affordable and reliable interstate transportation while reducing the burden of high transport fares.

 (NAN)