By Mahmoud Ndagi, Kano
Kano state government said it has completed arrangement’s to float a Mass Transit Service with 200 buses in the metropolitan area, as part of effort to create an integrated transport system for the emerging megacity.
The state commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba while reacting transport situation in a statement said Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has directed the engagement of private investors and the state Transport Authority (KASTA) for the immediate supply of 100 buses for the commencement of the first phase of the programme before the end of the year.
He said the measure was aimed at lessening the suffering of commuters in the absence of a strong private transport system as well as check the excesses of tricycle operators whose reckless form of driving has become a nuisance in traffic management and control.
Malam Garba pointed out that it was also part of the state government’s plan to reform the transport system and management of transport infrastructure to meet the demand of the teeming population.
The commissioner stated that in recognizing the need to improve the transport sector, the state government has envisioned a strategic planning platform to address transport needs of the metropolis.
Our correspondent reports that the activities of tricycle riders have taken a new dimension in Kano city, as its union has for more than a week been locked in a face-off with the state government over remittance of revenue.
Many tricycle riders operators told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that they cannot afford to pay a daily N100 fee and still pay the owners of their vehicles.
This is happening as some officials and residents see the tricycle operators as a growing menace.
Many tr
