Operational Efficiency of Public Transport System in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examines the operations of Public Transport in Nigeria using the Kwara State Transport Service as a case study. Public transportation service in Nigeria is provided by both the public and private operators. While the public Corporations are established by governments, private service operations are uncoordinated and poorly organized. Due to the inability of transport operators to solve the mobility needs of Nigerians, the Federal Government established the Federal Urban Mass Transit Programme in 1988 to ameliorate the transport situation in Nigeria. Through this programme, State Transport Corporations were established and assisted with buses and training in order to actualize the objectives of the programme. The study used data collected from passengers, through questionnaire administration, to determine users’ views on the services provided by the Kwara State Transport Service. Data were also collected from records of the Transport Corporation relating to passenger traffic, bus fleet and types, fare charged and organizational structure to assess the operations of the orporation. Results of the study revealed that operations of government owned Transport Corporations are defective in service delivery and reliability. Also, multiplicity of vehicle types usually affects vehicle maintenance. However, government owned Transport Corporation services are better patronized by travellers because of the comparatively lower fares charged in comparison with private operators. The paper recommends that in order to make the public transport service in Nigeria esponsive to the mobility needs of the people, improvements are needed in the operations of government transport organizations. Such improvements are in the areas of bus types, route selection and vehicle maintenance. Further, there should be encouragement of private operators through government financial assistance.

Key Words: Operational Efficiency, Public Transport, Transport System, Kwara State