AKUTAN gets new buses

BY EMMANUEL AKPAN

The Akwa Ibom Urban Taxi Network Limited (AKUTAN) has acquired new buses that will ply barracks road, the road that leads to Government House.

Commissioning the newly acquired Uyo City buses at the AKUTAN office, No 26 Aka Road, last Friday, the commissioner for transport, Prince Godwin Ntukudeh said it was necessary for AKUTAN in collaboration with the Transport Ministry to respond to need of commuters by removing all the dilapidated vehicles and replacing with new 8 air-conditioned buses that will converge visitors as well as workers to the Government House.

The commissioner said the new buses were to complement the State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio’s effort in transforming the transport sub-sector in the State and that the new buses will commence operation with immediate effect.

Ntukudeh used the opportunity to charge all drivers that will be in position of handling the new vehicles to ensure that they operate in line with new ethics, rules as well as guidelines of the Ministry of Transport in order to ensure life and safety in the city of Uyo. He frowned at drivers who will again violet the law of the government by parking wrongly at the entrance of Barracks road or loading three buses at a go instead of two, adding that any driver that violet the rules of government, henceforth will suspended. According to him, we have five toeing trucks in the ministry, so if any driver is being caught parking wrongly or loading three buses instead of two at a go, shall be suspended and his bus will be towed to the ministry”.

On the behaviour of the drivers, Prince Ntukudeh advised them to behave maturely with passengers and that they should ensure that they attend to the complains of the passengers, noting that the ministry for sometimes now have been receiving series of bad reports about the attitude of the Uyo city bus drivers.

Earlier in her address, the executive secretary of AKUTAN, Barr (Mrs.) Ime Obot said vehicles in AKUTAN were dilapidated as at the time she assumed duties in October 2011, but she worked assiduously to repair and keep them in serviceable condition in order to provide safe and affordable transport for residents in Uyo and environs as envisioned by the governor.

She said that in spite of the spirited efforts of the management of AKUTAN to maintain the vehicles in serviceable condition, diminishing returns had set in due to old age of the vehicle, making it difficult for the company to break-even and that the management therefore thought it expedient to obtain necessary approval to plough back its resources into acquiring new vehicles.

Speaking further, she noted that with the adding of the new vehicles to AKUTAN, the company will be better positioned to add aesthetic value to the State, enhance economy of the State through revenue generation and engender stabilize transport fare due to healthy competition among stakeholders.
Barr. Obot expressed her heartfelt appreciation to the commissioner for transport, Prince Godwin Ntukudeh whom she described as a dynamic and astute administrator.

Also speaking, the new permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Dr. Effiong Abia described the newly acquired buses as a welcome development to the transport sector and urged drivers to use the vehicles properly. He promised to work together with the commissioner in order to provide a better service to the government and the people of Akwa Ibom State.