The Ekiti State Government has commenced the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas buses as part of efforts to reduce transport fares by 50 per cent and ease the rising cost of transportation for residents. Governor Biodun Oyebanji announced the initiative on Thursday during the flag-off of 15 CNG buses at the premises of the Ekiti State Transportation Agency in Ado-Ekiti. The deployment, which coincided with Nigeria’s Independence Day and the 30th anniversary of Ekiti State, is aimed at providing more affordable and accessible public transportation in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Oyebanji, who was accompanied by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said the 15 buses donated to the state by the Federal Government represented the pilot phase of the initiative. He added that the state would expand the fleet to enable more residents to benefit. According to the governor, reducing transportation costs is crucial to easing the economic burden on citizens. He said the initiative was part of efforts to respond to the President’s directive to state governors to reduce transport costs. “The President charged all state Governors that by October first, we should find a way of reducing transportation cost because most of the implications we are witnessing, transportation contributes a lot to it and what we have done today is just the pilot: 15 CNG buses, which are going to be distributed to the unions, and the agency will manage it,” Oyebanji said. He therefore urged transport unions to ensure that the savings from the CNG buses translated into lower fares for commuters. “My appeal is to the Unions; they should allow the gains to translate to the commuters because this will reduce transportation cost by 50 percent,” he said. The governor also thanked President Tinubu for providing the buses, saying the intervention would help reduce the transportation burden on Ekiti residents. He added that Federal Government policies had created opportunities for state governments to implement programmes that directly improve the lives of citizens. “No matter how visionary a leader is, if there are no resources to work with, it will just stay in the realm of a vision,” Oyebanji said. “But the President has been helping and supporting us not only in Ekiti State but in all the states in the country to translate our vision into action and impacts for the people.” Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Ekiti State Transportation Agency, Tajudeen Akingbolu, said routes had already been mapped out for the buses. He disclosed that the CNG buses would operate on routes connecting Ado-Ekiti with Lagos, Ibadan, Onitsha and Abuja, providing residents with more affordable and reliable interstate transportation. The state government said it would continue to explore measures to reduce transportation costs and improve access to affordable public transport across Ekiti State.