Babajide Sanwo-Olu has launched 500 units of First and Last Mile (FLM) buses, which will be deployed to communities as alternative means of transportation to motorcycles (Okada).

The Governor also inaugurated brand-new 100 high- and medium-capacity buses into the fleet of Lagos Bus Service Limited (LBSL) to replace vehicles burnt at BRT stations during the wave of violence that marred the EndSARS protests in October 2020.

Sanwo-Olu said the mini buses would address Okada-related crises that had generated widespread concern on safety among residents, adding that they will offer services which the high-capacity buses were not designed for.

The Governor pointed out that the first fleet of buses will kick off the operation of the scheme with the fleet expected to gradually increase to 5,000 buses in the coming months.

Governor Sanwo-Olu said, “The launch of the First and Last Mile (FLM) Bus Scheme today is an important milestone in our quest to achieving the intermodal transport system which gives our teeming population the choices they deserve, reducing congestion and journey times, and improving the quality of life. It is also in fulfilment of one of the measures we promised as a solution to the security situation discussed at our recent Security Stakeholders’ Town Hall Meeting.

“As a responsible Government, we are launching this scheme in response to two major issues. One is the alarming statistics of fatal accidents recorded from the operations of Okadas in Lagos between 2016 and 2019, and the use of Okadas for the facilitation of crime across the metropolis. The goal is the full implementation of a safer and more efficient alternative transport solution that takes out the need for Okadas and replaces them with safer buses that will help us curb incidents of Okada-related accidents, crimes and robberies.”