A former Bayelsa State Senator, Ben-Murray Bruce, has charged the 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to introduce state-funded transport subsidies to ease the burden of rising transportation costs on residents.
Bruce said subsidising intra-state transportation should be the responsibility of state governments, rather than the Federal Government.
“Subsidising transport inside a state is the job of that state government. It is not the job of the President. It has never been his job. It is not his job today. It will not be his job tomorrow,” he said.
The former lawmaker urged state governments to deploy their increased allocations toward reducing transportation costs, arguing that individual states were better positioned to manage intra-state transport.
He proposed a four-point intervention that would provide free transportation for students, cap intra-city fares at N500 and support existing commercial transport operators.
Under the proposal, students would travel to school and return home free of charge.
“Students ride free. Every student, to school and back home, at no cost. Not discounted. Free,” Bruce said.
He also proposed that passengers should not pay more than N500 for journeys across a city, while fares in smaller cities and towns should be lower.
Bruce advised governors against purchasing buses, taxis or boats for the scheme, saying such an approach had resulted in government-owned vehicles becoming idle in various parts of the country.
“Do not buy a single bus. Governors, please. No buses. No taxis. No boats. We have seen those vehicles rusting in government yards from Sokoto to Yenagoa,” he said.
Instead, he urged state governments to register commercial transport operators, regulate fares and reimburse drivers for the difference between the approved fare and the actual cost of each trip.
He further recommended the use of GPS technology and electronic payment systems to monitor subsidised journeys and curb fraud.
“Pay only for trips you can prove. GPS on the vehicle, a tap card in the passenger’s hand. If a trip did not happen, nobody gets paid. That is how you kill fraud before it is born,” Bruce said.
The proposal, he said, would enable state governments to provide affordable transportation while supporting existing transport operators and ensuring greater accountability in the management of public funds.
