Lagos State orders public transport drivers to put off airconditioners

Nigeria’s Lagos State has taken its fight against the spread of the coronavirus to its public transport sector, as it rolls out sweeping measures at its motor parks, garages and means of transportation including buses and taxis.

Like most cities in Africa, public transport in Lagos can be overcrowded, sweaty and with little room for commuters to manoeuvre.

However, in the last 10 years, the city public transport has seen a dramatic change with the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transit and Lagos State Bus Service, targeted at the middle class, and also meant to reduce the city’s notorious traffic.

But the city’s ubiquitous yellow ‘danfos’ (commercial buses) dominate the city’s transport landscape. Often rickety and seen better days, they always overcrowded—an easy conduit for the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

But the Lagos State authorities are taking steps to reduce the numbers to curtail the spread.

The state’s Ministry of Transport initiated the following compulsory measures as part of taming the spread. This in addition to asking civil servants to stay home in the next two weeks.

 

1. All transport operators/companies are expected to sanitise their parks and garages regularly and continuously (at least before and after each trip)

 

2. All transport operators/companies are expected to have at the entrance to their respective parks/garages, washing hand equipment with soap and running water.

 

3. All operators are expected to have alcohol-based sanitisers in their vehicles for the use of drivers, conductors and passengers

 

4. All Operators are not allowed to overcrowd/overload their vehicles at this point in time, passenger’s spacing must be fully observed. The Nigerian Disease Control recommends that at least two metres (five feet) distance is required between anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness.
5. No standing in all BRT and Lagos Bus Service Limited operations.

 

6. All buses should be at 60% capacity and not 100% (i.e danfo (trotro) and other commercial buses)

 

7. All air conditioning system in public transport be put off.

 

8. All public transport operators/company must have a temperature reader to test each passenger before boarding the bus.

 

9. All drivers and conductors should always wear hand gloves and nose guides while in transit.

 

10. All passengers are also required to sanitize themselves before and after each trip.

 

11. Passengers are also required to regularly wash their hands with soap and running water before and after each trip.

 

12. Operators/companies and passengers are expected to report any suspected case of COVID-19 to the Ministry of Transportation or call 08000CORONA

 

13. Passengers are also expected to report any operator/company that does not comply with these guidelines to the Monitoring Officer at sight or write to the Ministry, stating the vehicle registration number, park and time.

Nigeria has so far recorded 30 cases of coronavirus with its index patient who arrived in the country on February 25, recovering from the deadly disease.