It was a Jubilation galore for both residents and commuters in Port Harcourt as the Rivers State Transport Company(RTC) resumed operation on Saturday. The company’s garage at waterline was agog with passengers on Wednesday as fleets of buses with five take-off routes. The available routes are Port Harcourt to Omoku; Owerri, Onitsha, Lagos and Abuja......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
Some commuters who could not withhold their excitement said the reopening is a breath of Fresh air, noting that using the company will not only guarantee their safety but will help reduce extortion from other privately owned transport companies.
Simon Weli, a commuter said: “I feel happy to use this RTC again after a while. I know that at the resumption, the transport fare will be subsidised but not only that I know their services will improve.”
Recall that the Rivers State Transport Company was shut down in 2020 by the Rivers State Government, led by Governor Nyesom Wike, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company’s closure was also due to the government’s inability to continue operating it at a deficit and alleged criminal activities by some of its franchise operators.
However, the company’s employees were left without work and pay, resulting in hardship for them and their families.
The company’s premises were abandoned and became a hideout for criminal activities.
The closure of the company left residents in the hands of private transporters, who exploited them with high fares.
However, the state government had planned to hand over the transport company to a private investor in 2022.
The employees of the company appealed to Governor Siminalayi Fubara in 2023 to reopen the company, which had been closed for over five years, resulting in the death of seven staff members.
