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Claim: A social media post by Wizdom Wize claims that the President of Sierra Leone has purchased new buses to reduce transportation costs, with fares now set at 4 Leones from Lumley to Central and 45 Leones from Freetown to Bonthe.
Verdict: Misleading. There is no report that the president purchased buses to help reduce the transportation challenges in Sierra Leone.
Full Text
A Facebook user named Wisdom Wise has stated that due to transportation challenges in Freetown, the President has introduced new buses to ease transport and reduce fares. It further claims that transport prices have been drastically reduced and calls for political support.
The claim was also posted here. Due to potential misinformation about the claim, DUBAWA decided to verify it.
Verification
DUBAWA’s findings show that the claim is misleading. It is true that President Julius Maada Bio recently commissioned buses. However, these buses were not meant for public transportation or to reduce transport fares.
Credible reports from the State House confirm that the buses were launched in Bo as part of a health sector intervention. The government procured 10 buses, along with vehicles and motorbikes, specifically to support healthcare workers and improve service delivery across the country.
According to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, these buses are intended to help health workers reach their duty stations more easily, especially in remote areas. This clearly contradicts the claim that the buses were introduced to solve public transport problems.
The fares mentioned in the post are false. There is no official evidence or government announcement supporting a reduction of transport fares to 4 Leones (Lumley to Central) or 45 Leones (Freetown to Bonthe).
Official fare adjustments are usually announced by the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, and the correct figures have been confirmed by the ministry’s press release.
Caption: Press release from Ministry of Transportation and Aviation.
The image used in the post is misleading. Analysis of the image suggests that it is likely AI-generated, and not an actual photo of newly introduced government buses.
This further weakens the credibility of the claim, as it presents manipulated visuals to support a false narrative.
Conclusion
Although it is true that the government recently introduced buses, the purpose has been misrepresented. The buses were procured to support healthcare delivery, not to reduce public transportation costs. Additionally, the fare prices stated in the claim are unverified and false, and the image used appears to be AI-generated and misleading.
Therefore, the claim that the President bought buses to reduce transport fares in Sierra Leone is misleading.
