By Abubakar Baba Ahmad
Bauchi State government has procured 25 Eighteen Seater Toyota Hummer buses and Five Peugeot 406 Wagon cars for Yankari Express Corporation, the state transport company to improve revenue generation as well as ease inter and intra-state travels.
The State Governor Bala Mohammed who stated this at the inauguration of the commercial vehicles at the Corporation’s office in Bauchi said the first batch of consignment included 10 Toyota Hummer buses and 2 Peugeot 406 Wagon, with the remaining being awaited.
Bala Mohammed represented by the Commissioner of Works and Transport Professor Titus Ketkukah said the decision to provide additional vehicles was to ease the cost of transportation for the populace, provide city shuttle to convey pupils and students to schools and strengthen inter and intra-state transportation.
“We mentioned the need for more stations, motor parks, more vehicles at Yankari Express to help our people, populations. We mentioned the need in various streets here in Bauchi that there would be a need for us to have vehicles. We mentioned the need to have vehicles, to be able to carry our children to school, to school, to work, higher institutions within the state here of which they find it very difficult to go to school we mentioned so many other needs that demands we have more vehicles, Bala Mohammed says.
While commending the management and staff of the corporation for their tireless effort in repositioning the company, the Governor charged them especially drivers to ensure maximum utilisation of the vehicles to be able to last long and serve the people.
“Here as we are all aware, Yankari is not for profit making but is for helping our people. I remember the other time the transport fare from here to abuja when it used to be more than twenty thousand naira, but Yankari charges nine thousand. So we want you the management and your drivers to make sure that these vehicles are properly utilized and taken care of to serve our people the way his excellency wants us to do it”, the Governor charges.
On his part, the General Manager Yankari Express Corporation Engineer Babaji Isa said lack of adequate vehicles was one of the major challenges hindering the operations of the company, promise to continue providing quality services and the commencement of pupils/students conveyance to schools within the metropolis.
“I want to assure the government of our continued service to the populace, as you know we don’t have weekends. We shall ensure the commencement of pupils/students shuttle to schools within the state capital”, Engineer Babaji assures.
Earlier, the Operations Manager of Yankari Express Corporation Saleh Abdu Ajiya said the company has witnessed tremendous changes in the last one to two years with the establishment of a Weighbill office, provision of toilet facilities, dispensary and dispatch riders to deliver messages and mail to all locations within the state capital.
The 10 Toyota Hummer buses and 2 Peugeot 406 Wagon cars are to commence operations immediately, with the remaining 18 vehicles expected as soon as the contractor delivers them.
