Three buses belonging to Agofure Motors were on Tuesday impounded in Asaba, by the State Passengers’ Welfare Scheme Enforcement Team, for running foul of the law which requires the company to operate with Passengers’ manifest.
The consultant in charge of the scheme, Engr. Lawrence Egogo, who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen in Asaba, said the company was arraigned in court where it paid the stipulated fine, with a pledge to comply with the law.
Engr. Egogo said the Passengers’ Welfare Scheme, which was created by law in the year 2000, but came into effect in 2002, was to ensure the safety of passengers and create a data base of accident victims in the state, most of whom were not accounted for in the past.
He explained that the law provided for the payment of up to 250,000 as compensation to any accident victim captured in the governnent electronic manifest, and all public and private motor parks in Delta were bound to key into the scheme.
The consultant stated that the scheme was automated to locate manifested accident victims within two hours, adding that claims could be paid to survivors and families of death passengers within one week of the accident.
Engr. Egogo said his organisation, in collaboration with the Delta State Directorate of Transport had, in the past three months, launched an aggressive sensitization and awareness campaign in the print and electronic media, and had written to all transport and park operators to comply with the scheme.
He emphasized that the scheme was not a political gimmick, by a policy of government backed by law, stressing that the compliance team would not condone ignorance or outright violation of the extant law.
The consultant, therefore, advised all land transport and motor park operators in the state to ensure full compliance with the law, just as he urged passengers to use governnent approved motor parks and insist they were captured in the passengers’ manifest for their own good
