The Lagos State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has unveiled 3,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered tricycles worth ₦10.2 billion, an initiative to alleviate transport challenges.
The initiative, launched by Alhaji Azeez Abiola, the Zonal Chairman of the Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria (TOOAN) under the NURTW, is aimed at reducing the cost of transportation and mitigating economic hardship.
Abiola noted that the deployment of these tricycles would significantly lower the cost of daily operations for tricyclists.
He explained that while running a tricycle on petrol costs around ₦15,000 daily, the use of CNG will reduce this cost to between ₦2,500 and ₦3,000, thus benefiting both operators and passengers.
Abiola expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for supporting the initiative and urged the government to establish more CNG refilling stations to serve tricycle operators better.
Currently, the only CNG filling station is located in Agidingbi, Ikeja, which poses a challenge for operators in other parts of Lagos.
Abiola also appealed for the lifting of the ban on tricycles on routes leading to CNG stations to make refilling more accessible for operators.