Six buses belonging to the Delta State Transport Company, operators of Delta Line, were on Friday impounded by the Delta State Passenger Welfare Scheme Law Compliance Team for loading passengers without the government approved passenger manifest.
The offence runs foul of the Delta State Passenger Welfare Scheme Law and is punishable by six months imprisonment or a fine of twenty thousand naira for the driver and one month imprisonment or a fine of one thousand naira for each passenger in a convicted bus.
The Head of the Compliance Team, Mr Festus Owhe, said in Asaba that the six buses were in custody and the drivers would be arraigned in court on Monday, Auguust 2, 2021 for prosecution.
Mr Owhe, who spoke to journalists, said two other buses belonging to Agofure Motors were also impounded but that the transport company paid the stipulated fine to have the vehicles released.
The Team Head noted that in the past Delta Line was not known to operate without passenger manifest and blamed the infringement of the law on failure by the private sector management of the company to comply.
He appealed to transporters and motor park operators in Delta to comply fully with the law as the Compliance Team would be thorough in its assignment and would not accept excuses.
Owhe said the Delta State Government meant well for passengers and travelers with the Passengers’ Welfare Scheme, pointing out that a data base of accident victims in the state, which the scheme was meant to enshrine, had become imperative to enable the government to plan properly for the management of accident cases and payment of compensation to victims.
He urged passengers to use only government approved motor parks for their journeys and insist on being captured in the Passenger Welfare Scheme Manifest at all times.
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