BRT Scraps Short-distance Tickets, Reduces Commuters To 20 Per Bus

Primero Transport Services Ltd., operator of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos, has issued new guidelines ahead of operations on Monday in a bid to curtail the further spread of COVID-19.

The management said it will only be carrying 20 commuters with face masks per bus.

The Managing Director of the firm, Mr. Fola Tinubu, told newsmen in Lagos on Saturday that the 21st person on board would be the driver.

Tinubu, however, said that the company would not issue short-distance tickets as from Monday, saying short-distance commuters that wished to use the service must be ready to pay for the longest distance tickets on their route.

The BRT boss explained that the firm had scrapped N100 and N150 tickets for short distances in the main time and asked commuters to be ready to pay for the N200, N250 or 300 tickets, depending on their routes.

“We are going to carry only 20 passengers per bus, the 21st person on the bus will be the driver starting from Monday.

“We will space them zigzaggy; we will show them how to sit. We don’t want anybody to sit next to each other. There will be no air conditioner; we are going to open the windows to allow enough ventilation.

“We will only be doing long distance; we will only be selling N200, N250 and N300 tickets. We will not be doing short distance of N100 or N150 stuff. So, anybody that wants to do short distance will have to pay for the long-distance.

“We want to concentrate on the buses on the long-distance since we can only carry 20 people. We will not sell a ticket for a short distance at all,” he told NAN.

According to him, all the passengers must wear masks and sanitise their hands before they will be allowed to board buses.