The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has disclosed that the government removed the former management of the ‘Ayalolo’ bus system due to its failure to expand the fleet.
Speaking at a stakeholder meeting on Friday, the minister explained that upon assuming office, he engaged the leadership of Ayalolo to assess the state of the public transport system. He expressed disappointment that no additional buses had been added since the original 200-bus fleet introduced in 2014.
“When I assumed office as minister responsible for local government, I called the Ayalolo boss. We gave you 200 buses in 2014. I asked him how many buses had been added, and he said zero,” Mr. Ibrahim stated.
The Minister said that the lack of fleet expansion, coupled with the depreciation and deterioration of the existing buses, led to the decision to ask the former management to step aside.
“If 200 buses are all depreciating and running down and you are not increasing the fleet, then based on that, step aside,” he added.
New Management and Spanish Embassy Support
Mr. Ibrahim confirmed that a new managing director has since been appointed and is taking steps to address challenges within the Ayalolo system. The new management has reportedly engaged the Spanish Embassy, which has expressed readiness to support fleet expansion through a grant of up to €1 million.
The minister noted that the grant requires a letter of no objection from the Ministry of Finance to proceed. “If that comes, the current Managing Director of Ayalolo buses will get a grant of one million euros to be able to augment the fleet,” he said.
He emphasized that expanding the Ayalolo bus fleet is critical for improving urban public transportation and reducing the commuting burden, especially in major cities.