NTA Gets 15 New Ashok Leyland Buses from the Government of India

During a breezy afternoon at 3:45 PM on the main compound of the National Transit Authority, the President of Liberia Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf received keys for 15 new Ashok Leyland 222 WB Falcon buses from the Indian Consul H.E. Upjit Singh Sachdeva through Foreign Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan. Receiving the keys, Madam Sirleaf expressed gratitude to the government and people of India for their numerous contribution to the government and people of Liberia.

Last year, the President of Liberia Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as head of a Government delegation travelled to India upon the invitation of the Indian government. During the visit, the President made a request to the Indian government for mass transit buses to further augment the existing transport services in Liberia.

The Indian government responded to the president’s request with a generous donation of 15 brand new Ashok Leyland 222 WB Falcon buses that are being dedicated today.

These new buses when added to the existing fleet of buses at the NTA will bring the total number to 53 functional buses. The 15 brand new buses will contribute significantly to the re-fleeting program geared at replacing NTA ageing fleet.

In April this year, we requested and subsequently received approval from the Board of Directors to decommission and dispose of four damaged buses. Consistent with the PFM Law, we communicated with the Ministry of Finance for approval on the method of disposal and subsequently wrote to GSA for disposal of the four buses.

Considering the safety of our commuting public, the technical department in consultation with the Safety section has identified additional eleven (11) of the 2010 (25) donated Indian buses which they declared unfit for public transportation. With approval from the Board of Directors, the 11 buses will be decommissioned and disposed of in line with the PFM Law.

The arrival of these new buses come at an opportune time when the rate of Ebola is fast reducing in our country (according to reports from the WHO and the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare). As we prepare to commence full scale operations, these buses are blessings to the resumption of normal activities on routes in Monrovia and its suburb. These 15 buses will help reducehigh demand for public transportation in Liberia after the post Ebola period and will provide greater opportunity for existing special charter arrangement with schools, universities, government entities, etc.

The new fleet will be used to respond to the expected explosive demand for travel, thus improving better access to jobs and services in Liberia.

To improve maintenance of vehicles, we have also procured additional spare parts worth approximately US$100K.