Ondo parents save N113m monthly from free school shuttle, govt claims

PHOTO; ondonews

ONDO State government says its free school shuttle initiative saves parents the sum of N113m monthly, just as the number of buses in the scheme’s fleet has risen to 90 from the initial 39.

When the scheme’s 3rd anniversary celebration held on Friday June 12, stakeholders lauded the government for the initiative.

Speaking with newsmen in Akure, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, said the school shuttle bus scheme transports no fewer than 53, 000 uniformed pupils and students across the state to and from schools, on a monthly basis. This exercise, he said saves parents, an estimated N113m that would have been spent on the transportation of their wards.

Giving the breakdown, Akinmade explained that the Mimiko-led administration is currently assisting parents with the sum of N5.3m on a daily basis for the conveyance of 53, 000 pupils and students of primary and secondary schools in the state.

Findings, he said, showed that before the scheme was introduced three years ago, most of the beneficiaries were spending an average of N100 as transport fare to and from their schools adding that if 53, 000 pupils and students now benefit from the gesture, it means that government is helping the parents with N5.3m daily.

He said the state government has provided 90 luxury buses for the scheme, which have been distributed to 15 council areas and Oba Ile axis of Akure North council area, adding that the scheme will soon take off at the riverine areas of the state soon.