For decades, Kaduna metropolis was a city on the move; a buzzing hive of yellow taxis, rickety but reliable buses, and the constant hum of commuters making their way through the sprawling capital of the state.

From the 1970s through the late 1990s, it was common for a resident to step out of their house and within minutes flag down a taxi or hop into a commercial bus headed in any direction of the city: be it Barnawa, Narayi, Tudun Wada, Kakuri, or Ungwan Rimi areas of the metropolis.

But there was gradual disappearance of commercial taxis and buses soon after the Sharia crisis that claimed several lives in the state. Commercial drivers were mostly affected in that crisis and, consequently, they started packing out of Kaduna, mostly to South East and South West part of the country.

Today, that once vibrant transport rhythm has slowed to a painful crawl. Commercial buses have all but vanished from many routes, while taxis, once the pride of Kaduna’s intra-city movement, are nowhere to be found. In their place are motorcycles, popularly called Okada, and tricycles known as Keke NAPEP, which have taken over the roads, offering quick but risky alternatives.

A visit to several major routes in Kaduna metropolis by our correspondent revealed a troubling trend: buses have stopped plying their usual inner-city routes such as Barnawa/Narayi, Ungwan Rimi, Tudun Wada/Bakin Ruwa, Kakuri, Nassarawa, and Trikania. Instead, they now concentrate on long-distance corridors, mostly from Kawo to Sabon Tasha and Gonin Gora.

For commuters like Amina Musa, a teacher, who lives in Barnawa and works in Kakuri, the change has been frustrating. “It’s getting harder to move around Kaduna,” she lamented. “Before, I could easily board a bus or taxi straight to my office. Now I must take two or three Keke and still risk getting stranded. It’s expensive and unsafe, especially during the evening.”

Others share similar sentiments. Hassan Malam, a civil servant at the state secretariat, described the situation as “transportation agony.”

“The disappearance of buses has caused hardship. Okada is risky, and Keke drivers exploit passengers when it rains or when there’s fuel scarcity. We miss the days of the reliable Kaduna taxis.”

Jeremiah Akpata, a university student, recalled that taxis once symbolized urban comfort and safety. “In the 1990s, Kaduna was a model of organized transportation. Now, it feels like chaos. We need the buses back.”

While commuters blame bus and taxi operators for abandoning them, the drivers have their own side of the story. For most of them, it’s not out of choice but survival.

Abdullai Ahmadu, who has been a commercial bus driver for over 15 years, said he and many of his colleagues stopped operating on certain routes because they were no longer profitable.

“There are few passengers on some of the routes we stopped plying,” he explained. “We cannot be buying fuel at high price without seeing enough passengers to pick. So we now concentrate on routes with more passengers waiting to jump into the bus.”

Another driver, Johnson Yellow, who used to ply the Barnawa/Narayi route, said the competition from tricycles (Keke NAPEP) made business impossible.

“On that route, passengers prefer commercial Keke because they believe it is faster than bus. On many occasions, I returned without picking a single passenger from that route, so I had to find another one that had more passengers waiting for a bus,” he said.

For many commercial drivers, the high cost of fuel and vehicle maintenance, coupled with dwindling passenger numbers and growing competition from Okada and Keke NAPEP, have forced them to rethink their operations.

While residents groan, the Kaduna State government says it is taking bold steps to restore sanity and modernity to the city’s transportation system. Governor Uba Sani, speaking at the 7th National Transport Conference, announced a N30 billion counterpart funding for the Kaduna Bus Rapid Transit (KBRT) project, a collaborative initiative between the state and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

The governor described the project as historic, noting that it would be the first of its kind in Northern Nigeria and the second nationwide after Lagos.

“The KBRT will feature a dedicated 24km corridor stretching from Rigachikun to Sabon Tasha. About 120 articulated buses will run on CNG, cutting CO₂ emissions by 38% and saving commuters N1.8 billion annually in fuel costs,” the governor explained.

Beyond environmental benefits, the project is expected to generate over 3,200 direct jobs, including drivers, station agents, and maintenance engineers, and 11,000 indirect jobs in ICT, security, cleaning, and small-scale trade.

Gov. Sani further disclosed that plans for a Kaduna light rail project are at an advanced stage. The first phase will revive the old rail gauge from Rigachikun to Sabon Tasha, while the second phase will extend the line from Millennium City to Rigasa, connecting seamlessly with the Abuja-Kaduna rail line.

In the short term, the state government has also launched a Kaduna Subsidized Transport Scheme, under which 100 brand new CNG/Hybrid buses were commissioned in June by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“The goal is to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal,” the governor said. “We granted six months of free rides for students, workers, and retirees, saving commuters over N500 million since July 2025.”

To support this initiative, over 200 modern bus stops are under construction across the state in the first phase, with more to follow to ensure comprehensive coverage.

The state’s transport renewal agenda also includes new infrastructure. In March, the governor performed the groundbreaking of a modern interstate bus terminal in Kakuri, Kaduna South, which he described as one of Nigeria’s premier transport hubs. The project, now 75% complete, aims to consolidate all illegal motor parks in the southern corridor into one modern facility.

Similarly, the old Kawo Motor Park will soon be relocated to Sobawa, while a world-class terminal is under construction at Millennium City, along the Eastern Bypass.

“These projects will boost internally generated revenue, improve safety, decongest city centers, and create thousands of jobs,” Governor Sani noted.

The federal government’s resumption of work on the Eastern Bypass road project, according to the governor, has further enabled the integration of a modern transport terminal into the corridor, a move aligned with Kaduna’s broader urban renewal agenda.

The government has also turned its attention to the often-neglected Kaduna Line, which operates on a franchise model. Governor Sani revealed that his administration cleared a N70 million debt inherited from past governments, digitized the ticketing system through E-ticketing, and retrained staff to improve efficiency.

“We have revitalized Kaduna Line by introducing modern operational systems and reestablishing collaboration with other mass transit operators,” he said.

Additionally, the state, in partnership with private investors is upgrading the Trailer Parks at Tafa and Maraban Jos, which will accommodate 500 trucks each and are currently 60% and 30% completed, respectively. These parks are expected to reduce road accidents, ease congestion, and enhance logistics safety.

Despite these lofty initiatives, many residents say they are yet to feel the impact. Victoria Aaron, a shop owner at Sabo Tasha, says the buses are still scarce.

“We’ve heard about new buses and terminals, but for now, we still depend on Keke. I just hope government plans won’t end up like previous ones that never came to life.”

However, others are optimistic. Usman Bello, a trader at the Central Market, commended the government’s efforts.

“At least, there’s something happening. If the KBRT and Light Rail become reality, Kaduna will rise again,” he said.

Kaduna’s transportation system stands at a crossroads. The disappearance of commercial buses and taxis has caused untold hardship for residents, but the government’s ambitious reforms, from BRT corridors to light rail, subsidized buses, and modern terminals signal a determined effort to restore order and modernity to the metropolis.

For now, residents wait with cautious hope, yearning for the return of the city’s once-thriving public transport system, and praying that the government’s promises will finally move from the drawing board to the roads that connect their daily lives. (The Sun)