Lagos lauded by World Bank as bus rapid transit meets objective to slash journey times

The World Bank has praised the Nigerian city of Lagos for implementing "modest [transport] interventions" that are "helping transform lives in Lagos" by cutting dramatically cutting journey times.

The World Bank said a bus rapid transit project delivered in two phases have reduced journey times from 45 to 30 minutes for over 200,000 daily commuters and increased the number of people who can offer the West African city's largest market place within 45 minutes by 65%. World Bank staff saw first-hand the project, which a private operator runs three services on under a contract with the Lagos Area Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), and said the project has "met and exceeded its objectives" and was a reminder that urban transport projects succeed if they are comprehensive, integrate land use and transport, and based on regularly-updated plans and data.

A World Bank blog post said the scheme also said that the 11-year-old LAMATA had delivered efficiently, and said it "stood ready to support its laudable [long-term vision for urban transport]". This plan's focus will be on: formalising informal transport in an urban area where most residents use 'danfos', thousands of yellow mini-buses; using Intelligent Transport Systems to implement integrated fare collection and public information systems; and creating new bus corridors and terminals in the metropolis of 23 million people.