Plateau Riders General Manager,Hon Gwott Introduce Gida -Gida Travel Express To Ease Transportation Cost
Yakubu Busari
Plateau Riders General Manager, Samuel J. Gwott has introduced coaster buses for passengers plying the Abuja -Jos route with two options to travel in Gida Gida Express Coaster Bus that goes for just N5,000 as the 25-seater bus will leave both Abuja and Jos every noon every day.
He stated that the 20 Sienna Buses for Jos to Abuja, Plateau logistics, and mobile booking app.
He commended Gov.Manasseh Mutfwang for taking priority in revamping PESL and also the transport sector as a whole in Plateau State.
According to him, the roads are now smooth for us to travel, the people of Plateau can travel by air and the trains will soon be moving.
Gwott disclosed,” We are excited to announce to our esteemed passengers that our restructuring and rebranding efforts have begun to yield tangible results. We have upgraded our services and also the type of vehicles.
“The second option is the air-conditioned Toyota Sienna that operates between 6 am and 4 pm for N9000.
“We have well-trained drivers, our vehicles have security features and speed limiters, improved customer experience, and a mobile App. It will interest you to know that we have stickers placed in the four comers of our buses with contact numbers and email addresses. A passenger can alert us in the course of the journey and we use the feedback to appraise our staff performance,” he said.
Samuel Gwott noted that their customers need to understand that the cost of operations and overheads have risen significantly. Every car owner will reason with us that servicing your vehicle and changing brake pads is expensive now. No more will our travelers spend 6, 7, or 8 hours moving from Jos to Abuja.
He encouraged passengers that, there would be no more to breakdowns of vehicles. We have changed the Jos-Abuja route from the Gidan Waya axis to the Akwanga route.
Our customers are willing to pay slightly higher for better service delivery. We are no longer in the Sharon, Vectra and old motorist leagues.
We have upgraded our services to compete in a market where the likes of VALGEE TRANPSORT SERVICES and others charges N15000. We want to chill with big boys, of transportation in Plateau and beyond.
The General Manager said since the inception of Plateau Express Services as a mass transit company. Unlike many other government-owned transport companies where their salaries and overheads are borne by their government, we in this organization pay our salaries and overheads from the revenue we generate.
PESL is a limited liability company established to do profitable business and compete in the open market and generate revenue for the state. Where other transport companies have their fares subsidised, we are solely responsible for offering affordable rates and at the same time making profit.
It will interest you to know that in the late eighties where Nde Emmanuel Manasseh was at the helm of affairs, at some point the state government borrowed from our coffers. Operating independently as a business liability company has positioned us to be innovative and entrepreneurial.
PESL has opened up 5 revenue channels and these channels have been approved and now being registered as a subsidiaries and we are currently being repositioned to operate as a group of companies. We have:
1. Plateau riders services Ltd
2. Tin City Metro Services Ltd ( This is the only arm that is palliative, a social programmes, a quick intervention to alleviate the sufferings of commuters within the metropolis. This will be commissioned by His Excellency on the 7″ of May by the grace of God.
3. Plateau Express Logistics Ltd
4. Plateau Express Learning Hub Ltd.
5. And Plateau Express Automobile Ltd.
Today we are starting our journey of commissioning Plateau Express Logistics Ltd as a revenue-generating subsidiary. We are launching this business with two vans and 6 staff.
We are very excited about our little beginnings and we a proud to say we are very ambitious about our future goals. No transport company can survive and grow with the logistics arm of the business.
Before now, the revenue goes into the pockets of drivers and other stakeholders who are not our staff. Excess luggage is revenue for us, but before a boy loading the vehicle who is not our staff will charge customers a subjective price, they will argue for about 30 mins and then he will collect the money, take his own share, the driver gets his share and the peanuts will come to us.
When I came in, 90% of our drivers were adhoc staff with no file. They were earning just N10,000.00 but in a day a driver could also make N10,000.00 daily from waybills. Some drivers deliberately make excuses in order to collect as much way bills as possible.
Now both old and new drivers have gone through a rigorous recruitment process, Medical examinations and training. They have signed a new contract and will end a Minimum of N40,000.00 with other allowances and welfare packages hike health insurance and life insurance. They will be rewarded for good driving every month, Our monthly performance appraisal will clean out the bad eggs amongst them.
These drivers have signed a new contract not to engage in any corrupt practices. As i conclude, The Rebirth campaign has brought about ongoing rebranding efforts aimed at refreshing the agency’s corporate image and aligning it with modern market trends with a corporate website that reflects a forward-looking approach, enhancing accessibility and operational efficiency.
From a non-existent media presence, we have raised the bar in media relations, customer service, and social media engagements, keeping us closer to the people we serve. These moves mark the beginning of a rebirth at Plateau Express Services. A new chapter led by His Excellency, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang. The road behind was difficult, filled with daunting challenges that tested our resilience. But today, I stand before you confident that the path ahead shines brighter than ever before.
A crucial part of that bright future is our ambitious Tincity Metro initiative represents a bold step toward addressing the ever-growing transportation needs of Plateau State’s urban centers. We are deeply grateful to His Excellency for procuring 15 units of MAN DIESEL 46-seater buses.
This is a palliative and a quick intervention to alleviate the suffering of the people of Plateau. Tin City metro offers a digitized transport system that is very efficient. We know that He who began this good work in us will be faithful to complete it. It is a new dawn in the Plateau, the land is green.
