ASSESSMENT OF PRIVATE-PUBLIC PASSENGER BUS OPERATIONS IN LAGOS METROPOLITAN AREA

Abstract

Passenger bus operation is a very important part of any transport system of a big city with large population. Its organization and running must therefore be taken as seriously as possible. Lagos before now has been plagued with poorly organized and managed public bus operations but in recent times the trend has changed for better. This study examined the operations of private-public passenger bus services in Lagos Metropolitan Area. To achieve this, specific objectives were addressed which were: identify the available public passenger bus service in Lagos State; examine the organized private-public passenger bus services in Lagos; assess the operations of organized private-public bus scheme in Lagos and examining the factors that make organized private-public bus operations unattractive to Lagosians. The research work focuses on the operations of Primero Transport Services Limited along the Ikorodu to TBS service routes. The research explored primary data (questionnaires, direct personal interview and observation) and secondary data sorted from Vehicle Registration Office of Lagos State Board of Revenue (State Ministry of Finance), Lagos State Ministry of Transport and Primero Transport Services Limited. The study inferred that Primero Transport Services Limited is the only organised transport structure with private-public partnership in Lagos.The result further revealed that regulating travel distance coupled with moderately priced bus fares would boost the operation of Primero BRT to its optimum capacity. Finally, it was revealed that increased fare, inadequate bus stops/shelters and congestion are the major factors that make organised private-public operations unattractive to passengers in Lagos State. Factors such as accident and crime were not significant with the attractiveness of passengers to organised private-public operations in Lagos State. It is thus recommended that the Lagos State Government as well as Primero operators need to focus on the provision of comfortable bus stops/shelters, price/fare regulation of bus operations and traffic management measure to reduce congestion.