By EMMANUELLA ANOKAM

The Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV) says transportation fares are expected to reduce nationwide from Oct. 1.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was stated in a communique issued on Thursday at the end of a stakeholders meeting to review their readiness and progress in implementing affordable CNG and electric vehicles transportation.

The stakeholders engagement which was convened by Pi-CNG & EV brought together representatives of state governments including commissioners of transport in various states.

“Several states are already making progress towards meeting the Federal Government’s target through the deployment of CNG and electric mobility solutions,” the communique stated.

Reports from various states which were captured in the communique of the meeting showed that several states had deployed CNG and electric buses, tricycles, motorcycles, conversion centres, refuelling facilities and charging infrastructure.

It also showed that commuters using supported clean mobility services in some states were already paying fares significantly lower than prevailing rates.

The communique said that Niger, for instance, has procured 200 CNG buses, with 35 already operational, alongside 11 electric vehicle charging stations.

It stated that Abia had deployed 40 electric buses and 20 charging stations, with plans to increase its fleet to 100 buses by December.

“Ogun has acquired 1,500 electric motorcycles and operates more than 20 battery-swapping stations.

“Cross River has also deployed 720 electric vehicles, including buses and motorcycles, while Delta has 13 operational conversion centres and four CNG stations, with 50 CNG buses being expected to be deployed in the state.

“Adamawa has signed an agreement for 2,000 electric tricycles, while Anambra has identified six priority transport corridors.

“Anambra is also preparing to train 1,000 youths in vehicle conversion, while Benue has trained personnel and technicians and established a conversion Centre,” the communique said.

Mr Ismaeel Ahmed, Executive Chairman, Pi-CNG & EV, had earlier said that the engagement would focus on addressing infrastructure gaps in states where CNG and electric vehicles were already available but additional refuelling, charging and conversion facilities were required.

Ismaeel said that states agreed to identify their busiest transport corridors and provide relevant data to guide the deployment of additional CNG infrastructure.

They are also expected to submit three priority interventions that can realistically be delivered in line with the Oct. 1 target.

Each state is to establish an implementation team comprising officials from the transport, energy and related sectors to work directly with Pi-CNG & EV.

The initiative will assign coordinators to facilitate implementation and monitor progress at the state level

“Private-sector participation will also be prioritised, with state investment promotion agencies expected to work towards a common framework for attracting investments into CNG and EV infrastructure.

“The engagement is to ensure that the lower operating costs of CNG and electric mobility translate into actual savings for commuters.

“The Federal and state governments are working to make affordable public transportation available to more Nigerians,” Ahmed said. (NAN)

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