Reactions have continued to trail the Primero Transport Services Limited, operator of the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit’s planned threat to withdraw its services from Lagos roads on Monday over ‘ logistics problems’.
The firm, in reports trending in both the social and traditional media, threatened to quit Lagos roads following logistics problems and other issues.
But our investigation revealed that firm had also been at loggerhead over murder of pregnant woman, who was killed on the spot after the BRT bus ran over her while she was trying to cross the road in Ikorodu area.
It was learnt that the driver of the bus ran away and abandoned the mass transit commercial bus following the death of the expectant woman. But the driver was, however, arrested after several weeks by the police and is being prosecuted.
An impeccable source disclosed that the state government was bent at ensuring justice is done by prosecuting the driver but the management of the firm expected the government reconsider its stance.
According to the source, the state government wanted the firm to strengthen its safety measures to guarantee safety of lives and property of Lagosians but the firm was concerned about the challenges of operating in the state with the growing inflation rate and other issues, which according to it, threaten its continued operation.
However, when contacted, the Managing Director of the company, Fola Tinubu, refused to comment on the developments and issues surrounding firm’s planned service withdrawal, saying that the management of Primero will speak at the appropriate time.
But sources in the firm said that the company was running out of diesel and other supplies that would likely disrupt BRT operations.
According to the source: “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 owes them. The company is currently running at a loss.”
It will be recalled that last Monday there was shortage of BRT buses across various routes, presence of long queues and an increase in waiting time at BRT stations in Lagos. A development that generated lamentations by the users since the easing of the current lockdown on May 4.
On May 15, Tinubu had said: “The way we are operating now is as if we are just running a social service for the people.”
