Benue Links Nigeria Limited Coverage

Benue, Benue Links Nigeria Limited, BLNL, Transportation 1/11/2013 by Akaafele

Benue Links Nigeria Limited which has on its fleet a total number of thirty one (31) functional and serviceable vehicles has the following major routes to ply. These are:

1. Intra-city routes or town service
2. Intra-state routes
3. Rural transportation services
4. Ferry Services, and
5. Inter-state service

Intra-city routes or town service

At present, Benue Links offers reliable and affordable intra-city services to commuters in Makurdi Metropolis and the suburb. To render this service efficiently and effectively, some of the buses are scheduled on the designated routes determined by availability of customers. This has further improved the socioeconomic activities of the state capital.

It is intended that such services should be extended to Gboko and Otukpo towns whose sizes and level of socio-economic activities demand such services. In the state capital the routes covered on the intra-city services includes:

1. Wurukum        –    Apir
2. Wurukum        –    North Bank
3. Wurukum        –    High-Level – Modern Market
4. Wurukum        –    Police Barracks – Wadata
5. Wurukum        –    Air Force Base
6. Wurukum        –    North Bank – 72 Battalion Barrack.

Intra-state routes

As a policy, Benue Links operates from a common base (Makurdi Terminus) to other towns in the state, especially to the local government headquarters. Efforts are being made to create more routes to ensure a more effective coverage of the state. This however, is subject to the availability of additional buses in the fleet. The routes effectively covered by Benue Links Company on its intra-state services include:

1. Makurdi    –     Adikpo
2. Makurdi    –     Aliade
3. Makurdi    –     Igumale
4. Makurdi    –     Jato-Aka
5. Makurdi    –     Katsina-Ala
6. Makurdi    –     Naka
7. Makurdi    –     Gboko
8. Makurdi    –     Oju
9. Makurdi    –     Okpoga
10. Makurdi    –     Otukpo
11. Makurdi    –     Korinya
12. Makurdi    –     Vandeikya and
13. Makurdi    –     Zaki Biam

Plans are in the way to ensure that the entire state is covered and particularly that all the local government headquarters benefit from the services of the company.

Rural transportation services

Rural transportation service is a new strategy in the company aimed at satisfying the needs and wants of the rural populace. The mode of vehicle used to render the services is Toyota (Hilux) Pick-up vans specially built or designed to meet local requirements like nature of roads (people) and freight to be evacuated. The vehicles which are  eleven in number opened for hire by deserving Local Government caretaker committee chairmen. One of the major aim of this service is to complement in local government areas where the bigger buses could not reach. They have no designated route to cover and their operation is based on customers demand.

Ferry Services

In Benue State, some communities are demarcated by rivers-Benue and Katsina-Ala while others like along these rivers where land transportation may not be feasible. To alleviate the transport between such communities and improve their socio-economic activities, Benue Links offers ferry services across river Katsina-Ala at Buruku and water bus services across river Benue to Benue and Nassarawa states communities settled along the river, terminating at Udengi, a river side community and headquarters of Nassarawa Local Government Area of Nassarawa State.

Inter-state service

Benue Links Transport Company links up Benue State with some selected states Capitals including Abuja, the Federal Capital. By the level of operation, Benue Links no doubt leads other states’ mass transit agencies in the nation.

Among the inter-state routes currently plied by the company:

1. Gboko    –    Dan-Anacha
2. Makurdi    –    Lagos
3. Makurdi    –    Kaduna
4. Makurdi    –    Zaria/Kano
5. Makurdi    –    Abuja
6. Makurdi    –    Jos
7. Makurdi    –    Enugu/Onitsha

In order to build corporate image and cultivate customers/passengers confidence in the company, the management of Benue Links introduced passengers insurance scheme. Besides Company vehicles, under the scheme, passengers are entitled to compensation in an event of loss of property, injuries, permanent disability or death while legally or genuinely on board company’s vehicles. This is a unique promotion strategy or market technique singularly employed by the company out of the numerous states mass transit agencies.