FLASHBACK: Some buses donated to Liberia as gift by India
The Liberian Senate has passed a Bill seeking to establish a Ferry Transport Service to be operated by the National Transit Authority (NTA).
According to a Senate press release, the Bill, was introduced by Sinoe County Senator, Augustine Chea and that it is intended to address the transportation problem in the Country thus satisfying the purpose for which the Monrovia Transit Authority Act (MTA) was amended in 2007 to now referred to the National Transit Authority (NTA) so as to serve as a national transport provider.
The additional responsibility being thrusted upon the NTA to operate a Ferry transport service comes at the time the entity is struggling to effectively run the current bus-only service. To date, the company has not been able to add new buses to its fleet from its own resources but has largely depended on donation of buses from foreign governments.
Senator Chea said that since the NTA was established, it has not been able to serve the entire Country due to what he calls, impossibility of performance.
The Sinoe County Senator maintained that many highways connecting Monrovia to most of the Counties are deplorable and almost impossible for NTA buses to ply the routs thus making it impossible for a large segment of the Country to benefit from the public transportation.
The bill when enacted into law by the Legislature will expand the scope of operation of the of the NTA to provide Marine or waterway transportation using Ferry boats as an alternative to buses which cannot reach many part of the Country.
According to the bill, when also passed into law by the Legislature, the NTA shall not only acquire, equip or manage the Ferry or Ferries, but shall also build passenger or Cargo Terminals in each of the Counties as well as Maintenance facilities.