National Transit Authority Tests Onboard Internet as Fleet, Facilities Rebound

Published: October 2, 2026

MONROVIA – Passengers on National Transit Authority buses may soon be able to go online during their trips. The authority has tested onboard internet on the Monrovia-Ganta route and plans to roll it out on long-distance routes first.

By Blamo N. Toe

Managing Director Edmund Forh said Thursday on OK FM that passengers on the pilot trip welcomed the service. He described it as a first for public transportation in Liberia.

The planned rollout is the latest step in what Forh described as a rebuilding of an authority that, when his management took over, had three working buses and US$41 in the bank.

“At the time we took over, barely three buses were operating,” Forh said.

He said mechanical problems and years of neglect had grounded most of the fleet. The authority also held L$113,000, in Liberian dollars, and owed large debts to contractors and service providers, some of whom had stopped doing business with it.

Conditions at headquarters were no better, Forh said. The building had no electricity, working windows or reliable power supply.

“It took nearly a month before I could occupy the Managing Director’s office because there was no electricity and no functioning generator,” he said.

Forh credited former Commerce Minister Amin Modad with helping the authority obtain a 20 KVA generator, which restored power and allowed offices to function again.

He said a US$300,000 investment under the government’s 100-day deliverables program paid for vehicle rehabilitation. The authority bought genuine spare parts from Tata in India and carried out extensive repairs, putting buses back on the road and reopening key routes.

The authority has since funded several projects largely from its own revenue, without direct reliance on government subsidies, Forh said. A new administrative building has reached roof level, a new powerhouse is nearly complete, and office space for staff has been expanded.

A passenger terminal in Red Light is also nearing completion. Forh said it will improve passenger handling and service.

He said the authority’s fuel station, idle for more than six years, has been rehabilitated. It now has about 38,000 gallons of storage and new dispensing equipment meant to improve accountability over fuel use.

Forh said the authority’s core mission remains affordable, reliable transportation for Liberian commuters. He said onboard internet is the next phase of its modernization, allowing passengers to stay connected on trips between Monrovia and towns across the country.