The bus transport service under the name “Liberia Border Express” was brought in by a business plan competition winner and Managing Director of the Liberian Gateway Incorporated, Madam Edwina Taylor Avezaat.
Madam Avezaat’s Liberian Gateway Incorporated has been engaged in providing services to people and selling of trucks prior to the introduction of the public transport service.
Madam Avezaat who recently defended her business plan at the recently held SME Convention in Rwanda and became one of the winners with some cash prize, told the Daily Observer in an interview that the bus has modern facilities including air cool, toilet, and a large video screen, and will run from Duala to Bo Waterside near the border with Sierra Leone for US$12.5 per person for a trip.
She said the $0.50 above the $12.00 will go to corporate social responsibility the company should provide for maintenance of the road on which the bus will transport commuters.
According to the Managing Director of the ‘Liberian Border Express’ transport service, she has the plan to expand the business when good roads are constructed between Monrovia and Buchanan, and Monrovia and Ganta.
She added that additional buses are expected in six months from now depending how the business will go beginning Saturday, June 16.
One activity of a business entrepreneur is to identify preferences and go for the one consumer prioritizes most.
In this regard, Madam Avezatt said her inspiration for public transport business was driven by the careful analysis made about the transport need of the huge population concentrated in Monrovia.
Monrovia has over 1 million people with limited number of commercial vehicles to contend with the daily movements in and out of the central part of the city. Moreover, not many roads are opened to connect the various outlets.
So far, only two main roads lead from the commercial district of Red-Light to central Monrovia where large number of commuters head everyday for business, work, and schooling; which often causes traffic congestion at both ends especially from Monday to Friday of every week.
Although has a modern bus with facilities not seen in any public transport bus in Monrovia, the Liberian Border Express charging US$12.5 is also meeting government owned buses, the NTA and other privately owned commercial buses on the market.
NTA going around town charges LD$15.00 and the maximum of LD$600.00 for most distances out of Monrovia; amounts below US$10.00 and 0.50.
Other commercial buses charge less than LD$400 while NTA is below all fares charged for a trip from Duala to Bo Waterside where Liberian Border Express will run.
Meanwhile, as many Liberians nowadays get involve in entrepreneurship, the European trained business student with Masters Degree in European Business is calling on her compatriots in business to show honesty in their deeds.
Madam Edwina Taylor Avezatt said “For any investor to be confident and entrust Liberians with their funds, they (Liberians) should be honest to enable investors have return of their money put into a business.
Though she did not make any reference to an incident of dishonesty on the part of Liberian entrepreneurs, she stressed that an investor is happy only when he/she is realizing the profit of his/her investment, indicating, “My friends in business must know that the only way foreign investors can trust us with the money is to be fair and honest in handling their money so they can have the return.”
