Abuja - The FCT Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) on Monday said an outright ban of mini buses in the city centre would help to decongest the city.
Mr Yusuf Jack, Deputy Director, Operations, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, blamed the congestion being experienced in the city centre on the usage of mini buses.
Jack said that congestion caused by stationed vehicles as a result of traffic jam was hazardous to health.
According to him, when there is congestion, there is usually heavy smoke emitting from vehicles into the air.
``This is harmful to people’s health and it has negative effect on our climatic weather,’’ he said.
The officer said that the only way to rid the city centre of the concentration of these gases in one area was to ensure there were fewer vehicles in motion.
Jack said that the reduction of congestion at the city centres would go a long way to reduce loss of man hour and increase productivity.
According to him, the Federal Government has come up with a policy tagged: ``High Capacity and Feeder Route Operation’’.
He said that with the new policy, the mini buses were expected to bring passengers from the hinterland to feed big buses that would in turn convey people to their respective places at the city centre.
``We cannot allow the city centres to be jammed with all sorts of traffic. In some advanced cities, there is restriction on the kind of vehicles that ply on every route.
``Hence, the government has come up with this new system.
``With this operation, the mini buses are expected to bring people from hinterland to board big buses to their respective destinations in the city centres,’’ he said.
NAN recalls that the FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, had on Jan. 12 directed an outright ban of mini buses from operating within the city centre.
Following public outcry against the ban, Mohammed suspended the ban for three weeks.
The bus operators are to operate from Jan. 16 to Feb. 6 during which adequate public enlightenment will have been carried out.
NAN