Features
New Edo Line strands commuters, leases buses to Lagos event
Written By: Emmanuel Ikhenebome
31 Aug 2025 09:52 AM
Benin, Edo – The management of New Edo Line, the recently revived state-owned transport company, is under intense scrutiny following a controversial decision to hire nearly half of its newly commissioned Toyota Hiace buses to a church program in Lagos, leaving travelers stranded.
The move raises serious questions about the company’s operational priorities and strategic competence in serving the public’s transportation needs.
On the heels of its much-publicized relaunch on June 27, 2025, after a 15-year hiatus, New Edo Line was heralded as a beacon of hope for affordable and reliable inter-state travel in Southern Nigeria.
The state government, under Governor Monday Okpebholo, invested heavily in modernizing the fleet and infrastructure, positioning the company to serve as a critical link for commuters traveling between Edo, Lagos, Abuja, and other major cities.
However, the ordeal of some passengers on August 19, 2025 with the New Edo Line paint a grim picture of chaos and frustration, even as critics argue that the decision to lease more than 40 buses—representing nearly half of New Edo Line’s operational fleet—was not only operationally shortsighted but also strategically disastrous.
"I waited for hours, no vehicle. A company is trying to build a market and the people are already rushing , yet no vehicle. Even after many booked online?", Mr Gani lamented
Transportation experts have slammed the management for failing to balance commercial opportunities with their primary responsibility to provide reliable public transport, noting that the timing of the decision is particularly egregious, as it comes just weeks after Governor Okpebholo’s administration celebrated the relaunch of New Edo Line as a “renaissance” for public transportation in the region.
The company’s fleet of over 100 modern buses was touted as a game-changer, designed to serve travelers from Lagos to the East, the North to the South-South, and neighboring states like Delta and Ondo.
Yet, the mass hiring of buses to a private event has left many questioning whether the company’s leadership understands the critical role it plays in facilitating economic and social mobility.
"We later learnt the company, hired more than 40 buses out for a church program in Lagos. It was another of the company buses not scheduled for the Abuja route that the company sent down to savage the situation.
"Though we moved late, you can't deny the comfort that comes with the buses", Gani who was heading to Abuja from the New Edo line terminal Auchi told this online newspaper
The management of New Edo Line has yet to issue an official statement addressing the controversy, but sources within the Edo State Transport Authority claim the decision was driven by a lucrative deal with the church, which reportedly paid a premium for the buses.
The move raises serious questions about the company’s operational priorities and strategic competence in serving the public’s transportation needs.
On the heels of its much-publicized relaunch on June 27, 2025, after a 15-year hiatus, New Edo Line was heralded as a beacon of hope for affordable and reliable inter-state travel in Southern Nigeria.
The state government, under Governor Monday Okpebholo, invested heavily in modernizing the fleet and infrastructure, positioning the company to serve as a critical link for commuters traveling between Edo, Lagos, Abuja, and other major cities.
However, the ordeal of some passengers on August 19, 2025 with the New Edo Line paint a grim picture of chaos and frustration, even as critics argue that the decision to lease more than 40 buses—representing nearly half of New Edo Line’s operational fleet—was not only operationally shortsighted but also strategically disastrous.
"I waited for hours, no vehicle. A company is trying to build a market and the people are already rushing , yet no vehicle. Even after many booked online?", Mr Gani lamented
Transportation experts have slammed the management for failing to balance commercial opportunities with their primary responsibility to provide reliable public transport, noting that the timing of the decision is particularly egregious, as it comes just weeks after Governor Okpebholo’s administration celebrated the relaunch of New Edo Line as a “renaissance” for public transportation in the region.
The company’s fleet of over 100 modern buses was touted as a game-changer, designed to serve travelers from Lagos to the East, the North to the South-South, and neighboring states like Delta and Ondo.
Yet, the mass hiring of buses to a private event has left many questioning whether the company’s leadership understands the critical role it plays in facilitating economic and social mobility.
"We later learnt the company, hired more than 40 buses out for a church program in Lagos. It was another of the company buses not scheduled for the Abuja route that the company sent down to savage the situation.
"Though we moved late, you can't deny the comfort that comes with the buses", Gani who was heading to Abuja from the New Edo line terminal Auchi told this online newspaper
The management of New Edo Line has yet to issue an official statement addressing the controversy, but sources within the Edo State Transport Authority claim the decision was driven by a lucrative deal with the church, which reportedly paid a premium for the buses.
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