By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
Fifty new buses are now in Sierra Leone to be managed by Metro Transport Company (MTC) that will provide a cashless payment system, the Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Transport, Mahmoud Kamara told Politico, Thursday 23rd November 2023.
Kamara was speaking to confirm a press release that stated that the Transport Ministry has delivered fifty new buses as part of the Sierra Leone Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project (SLIRUMP).
There will be a cashless mode of payment by passengers using a recharged card system of payment through banks, he said. ”Passengers can buy tickets through the banks before boarding the said buses,” he emphasized.
“The buses will be managed and operated by a Special Purpose Private Company-the Metro Transport Company Ltd,” Kamara said, adding they will be granted an operational licence by the Sierra Leone Public Transport Authority (SLPTA).
He added that the shareholders of the company will comprise the Transport Authority, Drivers Union, Rickshaw or ‘Kekeh’ Union, and Passengers Welfare Organization.
According to the press statement, the project will deliver a coordinated and modernized public transport intervention across selected corridors with visible deliverables such as constructed new markets and transport transit terminals at Lumley. Roads improvement works at Lumley, Wilberforce, Congo Cross, Aberdeen Road, Murray Town, and Ferry Junction are in their advanced stages of completion, which will ensure free movement of traffic, the release continued.
Kamara said phase one involves the construction of four pedestrian overpasses at selected locations in Freetown, two in the east and two, in the west of Freetown.
The Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Transport and Aviation in 2019 secured a 50 million dollar grant from the World Bank, with the government providing an additional two million dollars making it a total of 52 million dollars to address public transportation challenges in the capital.
The IRUMP project is to provide accessible, quality public transport systems, addressing climate resilience and enhancing road safety.
The Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority (SLRTC) which used to manage the government's public transportation has now been transformed into a transport regulator- SLPTA which will monitor the activities of Metro.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (27/11/23)
