Over 2.3m residents benefit from free bus scheme in Edo

The free bus services scheme introduced by the Edo State government, led by Governor Godwin Obaseki, to cushion the impact of the fuel subsidy removal has continued to record success, with over 2.3 million people benefiting from the scheme in the first three months.

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The free transport service, which covers all intra and intercity routes operated by the State-owned Edo City Transport Services (ECTS) was introduced in September 2023 to run for an initial two months’ period, but was extended by three months till February 2024.

In a statement, the Managing Director of Edo State Transport Authority (ESTA), Edugie Agbonlahor, said 50,664 passengers benefitted from the intercity service, while 2,263,360 passengers in the state benefited from the intra-city free bus service.

She said: “We are glad about the impact of the free bus scheme implemented by ECTS to cushion the effect of the Federal Government’s fuel subsidy removal policy, as over 2.3 million Edo residents have benefited from the scheme in three months.

“The free service was launched by Governor Obaseki on September 11, 2023, for all passengers on all intercity and intra-city routes operated by the ECTS. This was for a period of two months before it was extended to February 2024 to continually ease the pressure and transport burden on the people amid the current economic realities.

“We are excited with the positive feedback we have received from thousands of households who have benefited from the scheme over this period.”