CNG: Federal Gov’t Partners Transport Union To Slash Fares By 30-40%
By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah
The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi) has commenced a Transport Fare Drop Programme across the country, starting with Abuja, as it ramped up the adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a cleaner and more affordable alternative to fuel.
Representatives of the PCNGi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) covering the Abuja to Itakpe Station—Ajaokuta Train Station—Adavi route to convert fleet vehicles to CNG in return for a 30-40% fare reduction.
In a statement by the programme director of PCNGi, Michael Oluwagbemi, the programme will encourage NURTW members in Abuja to convert their vehicles to CNG in exchange for a fare reduction.
On Saturday, he said the PCNGi will continue its nationwide commercial incentive programme for commercial car open days, expanding to 38 centres in Kaduna, Abuja, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta, and Edo states.
The PCNGi will sign an agreement with the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) on Monday, September 30, to operationalise the Nigerian Police CNG Conversion Programme and train cadets to manage the strategic conversion centres the NPTF is investing in.
According to the PCNGi’s Programme Director, the initiative will help train the police cadets to manage strategic conversion centres established by the NPTF.
Similarly, to celebrate Nigeria’s 64th Anniversary of Independence on October 1, 2024, the PCNGi will launch the CNG Tricycle Empowerment Program in collaboration with the Ministry of Youths.
This program aims to provide over 2,000 young Nigerians with the opportunity to own and operate CNG-powered tricycles.
The PCNGi will launch the Kogi State Conversion Incentive Programme on Wednesday, October 2nd, and hand over CNG buses to the state’s mass transit entity to ply interstate routes to Abuja.
Additionally, the PCNGI will inaugurate three new CNG conversion sites in the state.
To conclude the week’s activities, the PCNGI will launch in Ekiti State, where the handover of CNG buses to the state mass transit organisation to ply the route to Abuja will take place. It will also inaugurate four new CNG conversion sites in the state.