The plenary of the Liberian Senate has enacted into law a bill seeking to establish a Ferry Transport Service to be operated by the National Transit Authority (NTA) pending concurrence by the House of Representatives.
The bill which was introduced by Sinoe County Senator, Augustine Chea, is intended to address the transportation problem in the Country thus satisfying the purpose for which the Monrovia Transit Authority Act (MTA) was amended in 2007 to now be referred to the NTA so as to serve as a national transport provider.
Senator Chea, according to a Senate press release stated that since the NTA was established, it has not been able to serve the entire Country due to what he described as “impossibility of performance.”
He maintained that many highways connecting Monrovia to most of the Counties are deplorable and almost impossible for NTA buses to ply the routs thus making it impossible for a large segment of the Country to benefit from the public transportation.
Additionally, the bill when pass by both Houses and signed by the President into law will also expand the scope of operation of the NTA to provide Marine or waterway transportation using Ferry boats as an alternatives to buses which cannot reach many parts of Liberia.
Furthermore, the bill, when also passed, the NTA shall not only acquire, equip or manage the Ferry or Ferries, but shall also build passenger or Cargo Terminals in each of the Counties as well as Maintenance facilities.