Lagos State has announced it’s roll out of 1000 “Last Mile” buses. Last Mile Buses will serve as the connecting point between highways and Lagos inner roads. Aptly named, the buses will deliver its passengers to their final destinations.
Last Mile buses were assembled by an Origin Group company, Duka. Duka is an indigenous automotive company that partners with the global automobile giants to produce vehicles invented for the Nigerian road. In partnership with world leading automobile companies, Duka is poised to solve intra-city transportation issues in Nigerian urban centers.
In a statement by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu, Last Mile Buses will serve as an alternative to commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, and tricycles on major roads. Recall that in January 2020, the Lagos state government pronounced a ban on motorcycles in about 15 local governments in the state. Last Mile Buses will serve as the connecting link between major highways and street roads in Lagos.
So far, Lagos has not been spared from the usual transportation and security issues that beguile megacities. Lagos state recorded over 1,500 reported accidents involving tricycles and okadas alone. In these incidents, there were 3818 casualties with 462 reported deaths. The Last Mile buses have proven to be a safer alternative to Lagos road users.
Each Last Mile bus has an 8 passenger capacity. The buses were carefully crafted with custom features to suit the requirements of the Lagos road and the needs of the Lagos driver. The high performance engines offer top efficiency and a low-fuel consumption.
Furthermore, an added advantage of these buses is low carbon emission. Each Last Mile bus was designed with the future of the Nigerian environment in mind. Speaking of the future, the Lagos state government has said that it hopes the launch of the new buses will provide enduring employment opportunities for drivers as opposed to okadas and even, tricycles.
According to the official statement from the government, the roll out of the new buses will be in phases to ease their adoption across the Lagos metropolis.
