Emergency Transport Scheme (ETS) in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

4th December 2025

Project Background

Transaid partnered with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Women Affairs to expand the Emergency Transport Scheme (ETS) to four additional Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nasarawa State in 2017. Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with estimates for Nasarawa State, at the time of this project, exceeding 1,000 deaths per 100,000 live births. In many communities, access to timely and affordable transport remains a critical barrier to safe childbirth.

This project was an expansion of a previous pilot project scaling up the existing ETS to expand its coverage through recruiting and training volunteer taxi drivers to transport women to health facilities during maternal emergencies. The approach combined driver training, community sensitisation, and stakeholder engagement to strengthen local ownership and long-term sustainability.

Results

Over 18 months, 1,752 women were transported to health facilities using ETS services. Ninety-seven percent of journeys were completed within two hours of contacting the driver, and none of the women surveyed reported paying for the service. Community perceptions of drivers improved significantly, with ETS recognised as a trusted, lifesaving service.

Sixteen NURTW focal persons and 94 ETS taxi drivers were trained across six LGAs (the four LGAs of this expansion project plus two LGAs from the pilot project), supported by a Technical Steering Group comprising key stakeholders, and ETS Clubs to encourage knowledge-sharing and problem-solving. Feedback collected through user surveys and stakeholder engagement events confirmed high levels of satisfaction and effectiveness. The project demonstrated the potential for ETS to be scaled nationally, with further exploration recommended for its application in urban and peri-urban areas.