Lagos Begins Joint Enforcement of Badges for Danfo Drivers, Conductors

The Lagos State Government has announced a joint enforcement exercise to ensure commercial bus drivers and conductors wear approved identification badges as part of efforts to improve safety in the state's public transport system.

The Ministry of Transportation said the exercise will involve its Directorate of Public Transport and Commuter Services (PTCS), the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).

In a statement on Sunday, the ministry's Director of Public Affairs, Bolanle Ogunlola, said the initiative was designed to improve commuter security, accountability and compliance with transport regulations.

The Director of Public Transport and Commuter Services, Nuhman Edu, said the exercise would also address other violations, including failure to register commercial vehicles, lack of vehicle body tags and missing stage carriage permits.

Edu said the partnership would strengthen the checking of safety documents during routine enforcement operations.

“Where a vehicle is found to be non-compliant, enforcement or compliance procedures will be initiated strictly in accordance with extant laws, regulations, approved guidelines and established operational procedures,” he said.

He explained that proper identification of vehicles and transport workers would make them easier to trace, support investigations involving vehicles allegedly used in crimes and help resolve complaints from passengers.

The ministry said the agencies would work together in six areas, including checking required documents, recording violations, taking corrective action and sharing information.

Edu said the government would also engage transport unions and associations through meetings, media campaigns and public awareness programmes to explain the new requirements to operators.

He added that the ministry would introduce continuous monitoring to assess compliance across the state and address problems as they arise.

The enforcement drive comes amid broader efforts by the Lagos government to bring informal commercial bus operators, including danfo drivers, into a more organised transport system under its Bus Industry Transition Programme.