When this reporter got an invitation to attend an event in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, she did not envisage any problem given the fact that she is familiar with the ancient city.

But on getting to Kuto Roundabout, she spent 40 minutes waiting for a cab to take her to Oke-Mosan, an outskirt of the town. It was after this long wait that she was directed to a rickety old fashioned car with a shabbily dressed driver who was then engaged in a shouting match with some passengers. The crux of the argument was his insistence on carrying six passengers while charging a fare the passengers considered rather exorbitant.

But she had then noticed a crowd of commuters converging at a spot where some neatly parked luxurious buses were on queue. The drivers and other officials were neatly dressed as they took their turns to assist the passengers to board the buses for a token fare of N10.

For residents of Ogun State, it can be said that happy times are indeed here. This is because the pains they usually experience driving to their various destinations may have become a thing of the past as the Governor Gbenga Daniel administration is said to have taken decisive steps to address problems in the transportation sector.

For instance, it has introduced some Brazilian made 55- seater buses as against the 33-seater types that obtained in the past. These buses are used to convey public servants to and from their various offices at affordable fares.

In the same vein, many youths in the state are the proud beneficiaries of employment opportunities after government gave out about 1,500 metro taxis, 2,000 motorbikes and reactivated the moribund Gateway transit for inter-state transactions.

Under the new arrangement, some of these buses, metro taxis and motor bikes were handed over to recognised transport unions like the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) at a highly subsidized rate.

Vanguard Metro also observed during a tour of the state that some roads in major towns have been tarred and marked with traffic signs to ensure compliance with traffic rules and regulations. Many residents were quick to express delight at the development.

A contractor at the Governor's office, Lukmon Arogundade, said prior to the arrival of the 55-seater buses, he had always been at the mercy of some commercial motorcyclists (popularly known as Okada) who often charged high fares for a journey that is less than two minutes. "Going to work was always expensive but the buses have helped to cushion the effect," he submitted.

"To me, if this is the only thing the government has done, I am okay with it. The introduction of these buses is the flagship of many programmes the state government has introduced," says Wale Afolabi of the state General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode.

Apart from workers in both federal and state parastatals, some higher institutions of learning have equally benefitted from the transportation scheme of the state government. Some of these include Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta; Federal Polytechnic Ilaro; Federal College of Education, Osiele; University of Agriculture Alabata, Abeokuta; Tai-Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijebu-Ode and Olabisi Onabanjo University(OOU) Ago-Iwoye. Other beneficiaries are the Ogun State Council of Arts and Culture Abeokuta, School of Health Technology, Ilese, Ijebu-Ode and the four states owned ICT Polytechnics at Igbesa, Saapade, Itori and Ijebu-Igbo. The buses are always are parked at strategic locations to convey students and staff of these institutions to and from their offices at affordable fares.

New road with signs

When this reporter visited some motor parks, the rickety buses and cabs that should to hold sway were no longer in sight. "All my clothes were nearly reduced to shreds by the old cabs; the new taxis and buses now provide maximum comfort," said Mrs. Odunewu Adeniyi.

"I work in Lagos but travel to see my family on weekends. I thank God for these metro taxis and mini buses, otherwise I would have spent a fortune on transportation. Commercial drivers are not ready to look at your face, especially on weekends; they increase their fares every now and then," said Mobolaji Anthony at the Ifo motor park.

In a chat with Vanguard Metro, Ogun State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Sina Kawonise said the scheme has helped to ease the problem of workers as they now transit to their various places of work at affordable fares. "We hope to extend it to other areas which have not benefitted from the scheme," he informed.

Kawonise said the introduction of metro taxis was an empowerment scheme to save road transport workers from Shylock commercial vehicle operators. "They pay back within a short period of time and we are happy that some of them have been able to acquire more of these cabs within a short period of time. It has changed the face of taxi cabs from the rickety to standard ones and gives people a sense of dignity," he added.