Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia on Wednesday in Umuahia launched the first phase of the state Urban Mass Township Taxi Scheme.
Ikpeazu said at the ceremony, that the initiative provided another opportunity for the state government to reinforce its commitment to the people of Abia.
He said that the state government wanted to utilise the taxi scheme to establish a very effective and reliable means of transportation.
“Some of the vehicles will be located at Owerri airport for people coming to Abia,while others will be in use within the state for `on-demand’ services.”
He said that vehicle tracking devices would be used to monitor the drivers of the vehicles, to prevent car jacking and ensure the safety of customers.
According to him, the taxi scheme is being instituted to boost the availability of transportation and regulate fares.
On waste management, Ikpeazu insisted that a recent report by World Health Organisation, (WHO) which classified Aba and Umuahia among the 20 most polluted cities in the world was wrong.
He said that that the state government was relentless in ensuring that Abia remained a clean state.
To this end, he said that the state government had purchased five garbage trucks for the introduction of house-to-house collection of garbage in Aba and Umuahia.
Earlier in his remark,Mr Gabriel Igboko, the state Commissioner for Environment, commended the state government for the provision of the trucks to facilitate waste management in Abia.
Also in his remark ,Mr Obinna Oriaku, the state Commissioner for Finance, described the taxi scheme as a laudable initiative that would further encourage growth in the transport sector.
Oriaku urged prospective beneficiaries of the taxis to live up to expectation by returning the required amount for the vehicles to the state government.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 100 units of Suzuki Celerio and Hyundai Accent cars were purchased for the taxi scheme, while five garbage trucks were presented to the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency. (NAN)