Fleet Management Optimization for a State Transport Authority in Kwara State

Public bus transport authorities in Nigerian state capitals play a critical social role in providing affordable mobility for low-income urban residents, yet chronic fleet management inefficiencies undermine service delivery and organizational financial sustainability. This study applies operations research methods to optimize fleet management at a state transport authority in Ilorin, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. The authority operates 47 buses across nine routes serving the Ilorin metropolitan area. Operational data covering route ridership, fuel consumption, maintenance records, and revenue collection over 18 months are analysed. A route optimization model is developed to match bus deployment levels to demand patterns across routes and time periods, minimizing operating cost per passenger-kilometre. Preventive maintenance scheduling is optimized using reliability data from the maintenance records, reducing projected unplanned downtime by 35 percent. A vehicle replacement decision model incorporating life-cycle cost analysis identifies six buses that have exceeded their economically optimal service life. Fleet deployment simulations under peak and off-peak demand scenarios demonstrate that dynamic fleet allocation based on demand modelling can improve average vehicle utilization from 59 percent to 74 percent. Revenue optimization analysis suggests that fare structure adjustments on two high-demand routes could increase monthly revenue by N4.7 million without reducing ridership. Recommendations are structured as a three-year fleet operations improvement plan for management adoption. Keywords: fleet management, transport authority, route optimization, Kwara State, public transport