One of Nigeria’s foremost mass transit companies has delved into the local production of Hiace mini-buses.

Peace Mass Transit (PMT) Limited recently began the assembling of the buses at its expansive workshop in the industrial town of Emene, Enugu State.

Already, the company has successfully assembled the first set of 10 buses and is awaiting necessary tests and approvals by relevant professional and governmental authorities before putting any of them on the road.

PMT Hiace buses

News Express was among media houses recently taken on a tour of the PMT assembly plant and showed the various sections, where workers were seen assembling the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) parts, installing the upholstery and running the various compulsory safety and speed tests. The production ends with a water test, during which the bus is driven into an enclosure where it is blasted with water from all angles and at a high speed for at least 30 minutes to ensure that no part of the vehicle is leaking.

PMT CEO Onyishi

An elated PMT Chairman and CEO, Mr. Samuel Maduka Onyishi, said: “The Federal Government has given us licence as a vehicle assembly plant. We bring in CKD at zero per cent.”

He disclosed that the buses, to be known as PMT Hiace, would be made available to interested members of the public to buy after meeting the company’s needs.

Still on PMT’s future plans, Mr. Onyishi said: “We are planning to take this company to the stock market so that the public can buy shares and become the owners.”

News Express reports that PMT started operations 21 years ago with only two buses, one of them driven by Mr. Onyishi himself. The company now has over 3,000 buses with which it daily covers 26 of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

PMT also has a bending plant, which takes care of all its oil needs and sells to the public.

•News Express Photo shows work in progress inside the Peace Mass Transit Assembly Plant, Emene, Enugu.

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