*Rising Operational Costs

*Fluctuating Revenue base

*Naira/Dollar Disparity

The Managing Director, Primero Transport Services Ltd, operators of the Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, Mr. Fola Tinubu, has reiterated that his company is committed to providing world class transport services to Nigerians to enhance and improve the capacity of citizens to conduct their businesses faster and better.

In an exclusive interview with our crew in his office in Lagos, Tinubu admitted that managing the BRT scheme has been very challenging and daunting. He added that but for the commitment and dedication of his staff and management team, the story would have been different

In his words “We are going to be three years in operations soon. From when we started to now, we have had to grapple with so many issues. We started when the dollar was N180 to the Naira within a very short period the dollar rose to over N500 to the Naira.

“Our debts went up, our running cost increased because all the spare parts we use are imported but our revenue base remained the same if it did not reduce because the people who use our buses suffered the recession we all went through”

Mr. Fola Tinubu was categorical that quality service cost money. He stressed that keeping the BRT buses clean, making sure the A/C work, paying the drivers and other staffs who work round the clock to make sure that the buses are on the road, all cost money

According to him “We have to make the political decision whether we want a molue economy or a digital, technology driven economy. We understand that there is a social element factor in the service we provide but the government cannot pass its social responsibility duty to a private sector operator”

“You cannot regulate what I charge and allow my running cost to spiral uncontrollably. Such regulatory function is a recipe for disaster when my bankers, vendors and other suppliers are constantly on my neck with bills”

While commending the federal government for the Nigeria/China currency swap deal, he cautioned that black market dealings should be avoided to enable importers access the Chinese currency for their imports from China.