Kaduna State’s planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is targeting take-off in the first quarter of 2027, with project officials estimating that it could generate 10,000 to 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, lower commuting costs and support cleaner urban transportation.
The first phase will cover 17 kilometres, featuring 20 stations, a terminal at Kawo and a depot, alongside dedicated bus lanes and an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) designed to improve journey times, security and service delivery.
Inuwa Ibrahim, managing director of Kaduna Line and acting director-general of the Kaduna State Transport Regulatory Authority (KADSTRA), said at a media engagement in Kaduna that the state had completed the design and planning stages and was preparing to commence implementation.
The proposed system will operate 120 articulated buses, creating employment across driving, vehicle maintenance, engineering, terminal operations and other support services.
“Considering this number of fleet, even to say you have 120 drivers, the support, the mechanics, servicing, and so on and so forth. So there is so much economic benefit with respect to this project,” Ibrahim said.
The buses will run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which officials say could lower operating costs and reduce emissions compared with conventional fossil-fuel-powered public transport.
“Because the fuel is greener. We are using CNG all through, which is cheaper and cleaner. Even our environment will be more cleaner,” Ibrahim said.
Aliyu Usman, project coordinator for the Kaduna BRT, said the scheme was designed to improve public transport efficiency and move Kaduna’s urban transport system from predominantly informal operations towards a more structured network.
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He said dedicated lanes would allow BRT buses to move more efficiently through congested areas and potentially reduce journey times for commuters.
Usman also said fares would be subsidised relative to prevailing informal transport rates, although officials did not disclose the proposed fare structure at the engagement.
The system will incorporate an Intelligent Transport System intended to strengthen operational monitoring, passenger security and service delivery.
Construction is expected to take about 18 months under favourable weather conditions, Usman said.
He said financing had been arranged through the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), with counterpart funding from the Kaduna State Government covering taxes and compensation-related obligations.
The BRT forms part of KADSTRA’s wider effort to formalise and reorganise public transportation in Kaduna through structured routes and terminals.
Usman said bus operations were being organised around terminals at Mando, Kakuri as the southern terminal, and Millennium City as the eastern terminal.
“Gradually now we are transiting from the informal to formal,” he said.
Idris Lawal Akiremi of Advance Engineering Consultants, project coordinator for Engineering, Procurement and Construction Supervision (EPCS), said the infrastructure design for the first phase had been completed.
According to Akiremi, the 17-kilometre phase will comprise 20 stations, the Kawo terminal and a depot.
He said detailed design work was expected to be completed by the end of October, followed by about six months of procurement before full construction.
Utility relocation will form part of the preparatory work, while an alternative route has been commissioned to minimise traffic disruption during construction, Akiremi said.
The Kawo terminal, identified as Terminal 1, could commence earlier because its design had been completed and procurement was already underway, he added.
The BRT is expected to connect Kawo with Kasuwan and parts of southern Kaduna, with dedicated lanes intended to give buses priority over general traffic.
Project officials also expect greater use of mass transit to reduce congestion and transport-related emissions, particularly if some commuters shift from private vehicles and informal transport to the BRT.
Akiremi said the project would have a significant impact on commuters and the wider urban economy.
“You cannot overemphasise the importance of this project. It’s going to have a huge impact, especially on the masses, and by extension, to everybody,” he said.
If the current implementation schedule is maintained, the Kaduna BRT would add a structured mass-transit system to the state’s urban transport network, with economic activity spanning construction, bus operations, maintenance, engineering and terminal management.
Project officials have described the scheme as the first BRT system in Northern Nigeria, with the stated objective of providing more structured, affordable and environmentally cleaner urban mobility for Kaduna.
