The Federal Government has commissioned 100 electric buses under the Renewed Hope Mass Transit Programme as part of efforts to ease transportation difficulties and improve the welfare and productivity of federal civil servants.

The buses were unveiled on Wednesday at Eagle Square, Abuja, with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, describing the initiative as a significant intervention in addressing the daily transportation challenges confronting workers.

The first phase of the programme involves the deployment of 37 buses, representing the initial batch of the 100 electric buses approved under the scheme.

Walson-Jack, who is due to leave office less than 24 hours after the commissioning, described the initiative as her “parting gift” to federal civil servants.

“What we have here is 37 buses, being the first instalment of the 100 Electric Buses,” she said.

She stressed that transportation costs and commuting conditions directly affect workers’ finances, safety, punctuality and productivity, noting that affordable and dependable transport would significantly reduce the burden on civil servants.

“For many Civil Servants, the daily commute shapes their finances, their safety, their punctuality, and ultimately their productivity,” she said.

According to her, the buses would enable workers to spend less on daily transportation, reduce exposure to commuting risks and arrive at their workplaces with greater energy to perform their duties.

Walson-Jack said the programme would initially operate on selected routes as a pilot before being expanded, adding that the buses would eventually be deployed to Federal Secretariats across the country.

She disclosed that a Special Purpose Vehicle had been established to oversee the management, maintenance and long-term sustainability of the buses.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, John Owan Enoh, said the initiative went beyond transportation, describing it as a convergence of workers’ welfare, productivity, industrialisation and technology.

Enoh said each of the electric buses could accommodate up to 200 passengers and cover at least 200 kilometres on a full charge.

He commended the National Automotive Design and Development Council and other stakeholders involved in the project, urging local manufacturers to seize the opportunity to establish factories, increase local content and develop products capable of competing in the global market.

The Director-General of NADDC, Olu Osanipin, also announced that the deployment would be carried out in phases, with the full complement of 100 electric buses expected to be operational by December 2026.

Osanipin described the initial deployment as the beginning of a broader rollout of electric mobility under the programme.

Enoh said the Federal Government remained committed to ensuring that its economic reforms translated into increased industrial activity, job creation, infrastructure development and improved living standards for Nigerians.