The soon-to-commence Enugu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is set to transform the state’s hitherto chaotic transport system. Littered with unregulated yellow buses and minibuses, the state’s highways pose daily nightmares to commuters.
Soon, some five major highways across Enugu city will be made only plied by BRT buses, keeping the yellows buses and minibuses at bay.
Commissioner for transport, Obi Ozor, during a consultative meeting with transport unions and stakeholders at the ministry’s headquarters in Enugu, listed the affected traffic corridors as Okpara Avenue–Abakaliki Road–New Haven Junction–Naira Triangle–Emene Airport; Ogui Road–Chime Avenue–Naira Triangle; and New Haven Junction–Bisala Road–Rangers Avenue–WAEC–Nkpokiti–Zik’s Avenue. Others are Ogui Road–Presidential Road–WAEC–Nkpokiti and the entire Agbani Road stretch.
According to the commissioner, these will become dedicated BRT routes in line with Governor Peter Mbah’s vision to reposition Enugu as a modern, multimodal and globally competitive city. He however stressed that taxis will also be allowed to ply the BRT routes.
He noted that tricycles were never designed for high-speed highways, stressing that their presence on such routes disrupts traffic flow and puts lives at risk. “We must be open to change. This reform is not about taking anyone’s job. It is about reorganizing the system so that BRT buses operate on the primary roads, yellow buses serve the secondary routes, and tricycles provide last-mile connectivity. Everyone has a place in the value chain,” he stated.
The government has procured 200 CNG-powered BRT buses alongside 4,000 electric taxis to be assembled locally at ANAMMCO in Enugu, with the first 1,000 taxis ready within three months. The Mbah administration has also built 84 new bus shelters across the city, forming the backbone of a modern transit network designed around safety, comfort, and affordability.
Enugu, with an estimated two million daily commuters, requires at least 8,000 buses to meet mobility demands. The new BRT buses, he added, are equipped with padded seats, functional air-conditioning, WiFi, and strict safety features. “Passengers do not stand in these buses, and every vehicle is tracked and monitored from our central command and control centre. The BRT fare now comes with a 47 percent discount to cushion transportation costs for citizens,” the transport commissioner said.
Some key resolutions reached at the meeting include that transport unions interested in participating in BRT bus or terminal operations are to submit proposals, including financial models, for government evaluation. An Ije Card, the state’s electronic fare payment system designed to make commuting faster, cashless, and more convenient, will be decentralized so that sales points reach five million residents within 90 days.
However, there have been delays in allocating loading bays at the new transport terminals, noting that proposals are under review and would be finalized soon. Transport unions are to to access financial facilities to procure their own buses or to participate in the BRT operations space.
Many see enormous investment opportunities in the Enugu expanding connectivity to other cities. Stakeholders across the transport unions are already in support of the state’s transport transformation agenda, saying they recognized the long-term benefits for commuters, operators, and the economy of the state.
The Enugu State chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Chidiebere Aniagu, said the union was not opposed to the reforms and shares the government’s vision for a safer and more efficient transportation ecosystem. But appealed to the government to address the concerns of their members. His counterpart in the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Augustine Agu, noted that they fully support Governor Mba’s transport vision.
