Palliatives: Plateau state prepares for transport subsidy with distribution of 150,000 transit cards

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Plateau State Government is poised to inaugurate the long-awaited Metro BRT transit service as it distributes over 150,000 Transit Cards to residents in Plateau City.
The General Manager of Plateau Express Services Limited, Samuel Gwot, in a statement shared with journalists on Saturday, said the new Tincity Metro buses were procured by His Excellency, Governor Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, to serve as a mass transit solution for commuters within and outside Plateau City.
He stated that this historic mass transit initiative aligns with the visionary agenda of H.E. Governor Barr. Caleb Mutfwang to alleviate the hardship faced by commuters resulting from the recent fuel subsidy removal, as more transit cards will be distributed.
The statement partly read: “The initiative introduces revolutionary transportation with state-of-the-art affordability, starting from 200 naira per trip, new smoother routes to connect all corners of the city, and adopts digitization for seamless ticketing through transit cards powered by Nairaxi, a leading tech mobility company in Nigeria.
“With digitization, revenue control will be optimized, and efforts will also be made to accommodate cash transactions to enable ease of accessibility. Already, activation of transit cards is underway on campuses, in markets, and other locations across Plateau City to ensure convenience and inclusiveness.
“The Tincity Metro BRT promises an improved public transportation experience, assures transit safety, accommodates responsible customer service to support modifications and improvements, while ensuring a 50 percent subsidized rate on each trip provided by the state government under H.E. Caleb Mutfwang.
“Onboard every BRT Bus is the ‘Vicki’ prompt presenter. She humorously, but explicitly keeps riders informed by announcing and explaining schedules, routes, fares, and other useful information to keep commuters and drivers informed.”
The statement further stated that the residents have expressed optimism that the future for better public transportation is bright with this new transit initiative. Another described the Metro BRT as a project that will make public transit easier and safer.
“Although the government is working on clearing the bus terminals to allow for smooth traffic flows, which is assumed to be the cause of delays in the commencement of operation of the Metro BRTs”.
Also,executives and administrators in the state have keyed into the initiative, stating that the roads must be cleared before the 14 new German buses can begin operations in the city. However, the need for urgent sanitization of the city is imperative to allow the full operation of the urban mass transit initiative in Plateau State.”
However, Plateau State residents are encouraged to join the government in ensuring the smooth operation of Tincity Metro BRT, which will be operational on eight major routes for connectivity and convenient commuting.