By Amadou Jadama
The managing director of Gambia Transport Service Company, Seedy Kanyi, has announced that his company is adding two additional buses to make a total of 4, doubling their coverage from Banjul to Dakar, to improve travel experience of its customers. He said this followed the formal signing of an MoU with their Senegalese counterpart, Dakar Dem Dikk.
Speaking to the journalists at a press conference called to give developments on the company, Mr Kanyi disclosed that his company is now ten years old and since its inception, it has been expanding its fleet on a regular basis, on average every three years.
“As recent as 2022 to date, we have added 100 buses to our fleet thanks to the support and collaboration from the Gambia Government and the parent company SSHFC. All this is geared towards the provision of affordable, reliable and safe travel means to the Gambian public and beyond, “he said.
On the recent expansion moves, Mr Kanyi said about two weeks ago, precisely on the 26 and 27 of October, GTSC delegation comprising the Board Chairman, the General Manager and other senior members of management attended the Gambia Day event in Dakar, organised by the Gambia High Commission in Senegal.
“It is pleasing to inform you that during this event, GTSC achieved a major success where we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with our counterparts in Senegal, Dakar Dem Dikk. This MoU will allow GTSC together with Dakar Dem Dikk, the two largest public transport companies in Sene-Gambia to double our service coverage on the Banjul to Dakar corridor, “he added.
“Currently, we are operating only two buses per day, per direction but very soon, we will roll out the additional two buses to adequately respond to the high demand for our services on this route. This service expansion will naturally lead to boosting of trade links between the two countries, where our courier service is widely used from both ends, “he added.
Mr Kanyi further posited that locally, they have opened new destinations across the country, thereby opening up these settlements to vibrant commercial activities. These new destinations, he added, include Koina, Diabugu, Mankamang Kunda, Sami Pachonki, Kunting, Jangjanbureh, Kaur, Bambali and Jarra Sutukung.
Also, there are “Plans to explore new destinations in Senegal such as Touba and Ziguinchor and reviving our services to Guinea Bissau and Koundara in Guinea Conakry.”
The GTSC boss assured the public that his company is dedicated to meeting customers’ needs and expectations by providing affordable, safe and reliable transport, from Banjul to Basse, Barra to Laminkoto and beyond.
MD Kanyi also mentioned the construction of modern solar powered bus shelters across the country, the route to Faraba campus, the SSHFC staff transport service and GIA tarmac service as new developments.
He said other new developments in the pipeline are the civil service transport scheme and the Road to Abidjan for 2024 Afcon football tournament.
Fabuka Njaay, Director of Corporate Affairs at the parent company SSHFC, himself formerly at the GTSC, highlighted the strategic significance of the collaboration between the two and emphasised GTSC’s pivotal role in enhancing mobility and catalysing socio-economic activity.
He underscored the company’s unmatched contributions through its expansive infrastructure, expertise and unparalleled service offerings within the country’s road transport sector.
