Enugu Commences Coal City Shuttle, Soon

As part of efforts to enhance the transportation system in Enugu State, the government has planned to introduce coal city shuttle buses, with an initial batch of 30 purpose-built long buses for Innonson vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited (IVM) plant in Nnewi, Anambra State.

Dropping the hint in a chat with newsmen in Enugu, the Special Adviser to the Enugu State Governor on Transportation, Prince Emeka Mammah, said coal city shuffle would not just be another transport scheme, but was designed to be innovative, efficiently managed and benefit from relevant modern technologies.

He added, “Coal City Shuttle is a project embarked on by the Enugu State Government in accordance with a key item in Governor Sullivan Chime’s four-point agenda which is to give commuters in the state and the coal city in particular, the best transportation system. So you can say it is part of the dividends of democracy for the people of Enugu State”.

The Special Adviser disclosed that the shuttle would have been flagged off earlier, but for the insistence of those midwifing the project, on ensuring that relevant on-board and ground infrastructures, as well as supports services, are fully in place before the vehicles hit Enugu roads.

For instance, Close Circuit Television (CCTV) is being installed on each of the buses with the aim of monitoring daily operations of the vehicles and obviating gate crashing and criminal activities on the part of the passengers as well as possible indiscipline and cheating by the crews.

It was also learnt that turnstiles, automated mechanical devices that control entrance into halls, stadia and other enclosed places, are being installed on the Innoson buses, the barrier will play the dual role of controlling the entry/exit of the ticket-bearing passengers, while at the same time counting them as they board.

He said that unlike the yellow coal city cabs which is being run on PPP (public, private, partnership) basis, the coal city shuttle is an entirely government scheme with the Enugu State Ministry of Transportation handling the procurement of the buses and employment of the on-board crews and supervisors.