LAGBUS resumes operation after protest

LAGBUS

Kazeem Ugbodaga
Red buses operating under the LAGBUS Asset Management have resumed full operation after Monday’s protest occasioned by the Lagos State Government’s ban on them not to ply BRT lane on Ikorodu corridor.
Managing Director, LAGBUS Assets Management, Idowu Oguntona on Tuesday at a news conference in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria said the crisis which led to the protest had been resolved and that the various franchisees had resumed operation.
He said nine LAGBUS drivers and ticketers arrested during the protest had been released by the police and that the situation was now normal.
Oguntona said the management of LAGBUS Asset Management and stakeholders had brokered truce and resolved the crisis.
“Despite the various stakeholders engagement sessions, our bus captains reacted to the directive on the restriction of movement of LAGBUS branded buses on Ikorodu corridor by boycotting work due to security concerns, including potential wrath of passengers and road side miscreants.
“However, having put in place measures to address the concerns raised, normal operations have since resumed. We apologise for any inconveniences that may have been caused to our esteemed customers and wish to reaffirm our commitment to providing quality service to Lagosians,” he said.
Oguntona added that: “performance is a key thing in our organization to ensure that the workers work effectively in order to earn their wages. We earlier anticipated that there might be some impact in the revenue the company will generate but what we have done is to assure all our captains that they will not be worse off and that the company will absolve whatever potential loss that might arise from the change in policy.”
He said goverment’s responsibility was to create an enabling environment to attract investors and that what the new directive had done was to create clarity and ensure that the corridor was dedicated for the private operator.
“This policy will assure potential investors to know that the government has policies and strong in enforcement of such policies. We don’t want to create a situation where policies are created and the necessary enforcement is absent. I believe that the government is committed to creating the enabling environment to attract potential investors that will comply with the policies and regulation of the government,” he said.