FCTA Revokes Taxi Ranks, Bus Terminals Operators’ Licenses

By: Victoria Agorom

The FCT Administration has cancelled the taxi ranks and bus terminals operators’ licenses in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The Secretary, FCT Transportation Secretariat, Arc. Ubokutom Nya, made this disclosure during a stakeholders meeting involving Terminals and Taxi Ranks Managers in Abuja.

His words: “We must rid Abuja of all these. I have gone round the taxi ranks. Of all the places visited, not one is worthy to be called even a village motor park, much less Abuja.”

Nya informed operators of the facilities that having failed all the terms and conditions of their engagement, the FCTA was left with no option but to terminate their engagement and directed them to hand over the ranks to the Administration within three months starting 21st November,2023.

The Secretary told them that the action was not meant to punish them, but to reposition the sector, bring new terms of engagement and provide the Federal Capital Territory with modern taxi ranks and terminals, increase their number where necessary and improve the revenue profile of the Administration.

Nya expressed the readiness of the FCT Administration to rehabilitate and revamp taxi ranks including the
terminals to the standard befitting the Federal Capital Territory.

The Secretary stated that his visit to some of the taxi ranks, bus terminals and illegal motor parks in the company of the Management Team of the Secretariat afforded him the opportunity to have first hand information of the ugly state of the facilities.

He maintained that Abuja, being the Federal Capital City deserves more than what it presently has.

The Secretary, however, assured that the Administration will still consider the present operators that have the capacity to develop the facilities in line with the new vision.

The Secretary decried the infiltration of illegal motor parks within the City and expressed the readiness of the Administration to provide Abuja with befitting taxi ranks and terminals.

Nya noted that the state of the bus terminals, taxi ranks and illegal motor parks in the City were such that attract crimes and criminalities.

He revealed that the FCT Administration has concluded plans to remove all illegal motor parks in Abuja.

The removal is aimed at ridding the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of all forms of criminalities, and boosting the security of lives and property of the residents.

Responding, the Operator of Jahi Taxi Rank, Mr. Adebisi Lawal, commended the Administration’s move to modernise the taxi ranks and bus terminals but pleaded that the current operators should be given due consideration in the choice of new developers.