On Thursday, President Joseph N. Boakai dedicated 34 National Transit Authority (NTA) buses to provide mass services nationwide. “The buses will not be a private use for government; they will have to pay for the service,” President Boakai said. “The buses will not be free because it’s for the people.”
The NTA provides affordable, convenient, and reliable mass transit services throughout Liberia.
The President welcomes the buses and said it will benefit commuters nationwide, especially those in the south-eastern counties, Lofa County, and do on.
In furtherance, the President revealed that because of the development progress and standard system Liberia has made he will not sit there for Liberia to retrogress by any current and future leaders.
Before the dedication program, the President held a meeting with the NTA’s leadership and they discussed maintenance of the buses, the digital system enforcement, payment system, a park time and dispatching time to enable passengers to get to their various destinations on time.
He cautioned the NTA’s leadership to set up a system that will immediately repair would-be broken down buses on the highway instead of bringing them back to Montserrado County for service.
The President further expressed appreciation to motorcyclists for their massive contribution to the transport sector, assuring them that the future of their children future is not in motorbike, but in education.
The total number of buses are 60, but the President has dedicated the first 34 to reduce the transportation nightmares.
T. Melvin Cephas, NTA’s Deputy Managing Director for Administration, said the buses went through procurement processes and met all requirements.
Cephas thanked ABK Incorporated for winning the bid and bringing the buses to Liberia. He disclosed that the NTA got the buses on an account, to pay back in a three-year period.
He retrospected saying the NTA entity had not only been abandoned when they took over; it had broken down and burned to ashes.
“We met five buses, which we repaired, when the President gave us US$300,000 in the first 100-day period,” deputy Cephas disclosed.
The Boakai’s administration met 18 “abnormal” buses on board, which were repaired and are active, making them 78 buses when the balance 26 buses arrives in country.
The NTA pledged five cargo trucks for market women to transport good from farms to market places nationwide.
Deputy Managing Cephas expressed appreciation to President Boakai for the buses and pleaded for more budgetary allotment to complete the administrative building and tackle other things.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Sirleaf Tyler called on the NTA’s staff to maintain the buses, noting that lack of transparency, accountability, maintenance, so on, has caused setback for the entity.
He recalled former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s administration bought fleet of buses; likewise former President George M. Weah’s regime, but all were damaged without trace and financial benefit.
Representative Siafa Kpoto, Head for Transport at the House of Representatives, thanked the President and all parties involved for securing the fleet of buses, and appealed to the President to allow the Transport Ministry to do all the license and produce all the plates for the buses.