Time To Remove The Yellow Buses, But...

Sometimes when you drive on the roads of Lagos, you can never appreciate nor understand the pain and agony an average commuter in Lagos State faces in the hands of drivers and conductors of commercial buses. The experience could be harrowing, nauseating and hellish.

Not only are the drivers and conductors reckless, heartless and mannerless but equally fraudulence as all attempts and prayer is for you to forget your balance (a.k.a change) with them. An average Nigeria driver, better still, Lagos driver lacks human and customer relations. They talk and act anyhow. Their faces portray horror all thanks to alcoholism and weed smoking. The expression customer is always right or is a king cannot be found in their dictionaries. When boarding their buses, you must not only have their exact fare, otherwise, you are on your own as far as your 'change' (i.e fare balance) is concerned. When you fail to have the required fare, two or more of you are lumped together to settle yourselves.

Insufficient fuel is another common place in commercial buses in Lagos. No matter the amount the drivers hold, they hardly buy more than #500 to #1000 fuel at a time. It is as if is a curse for them to buy enough fuel. The resultant effect is a lot of vehicles stopping halfway to the destination because of lack of fuel.

Equally worrisome is the pathetic, non hygenic and sorry state of Lagos Commercial buses and drivers cum conductors. When you complain, abuses and curses become your lot.

Added to this is the tendency to park people like 'sadine' inside such disgusting atmosphere. Funny enough, an average commuter in Lagos State has become accustomed to it such that when you complain, they look at you with disdain, and this part reminds me of the fact that we are achitect of our problems in this country.

Another non-palatable  side of commercial buses in Lagos  State  is the tendency to always be in a haste and hurry. You run to board the bus and run to alight. What a life!

On this note, one cannot but say it is time for the commercial buses to be sent to extinction if only to save hapless and helpless Lagos commuters from such needless pains and experience.

Be that as it may, the question is: if the mere removal of 'Yellow Buses' from the roads is sufficient to ameliorate the plight of commuters , while giving Lagos State a facelift it claims to be? My answer is capital NO!

Removing Yellow Buses from Lagos roads will not change anything, it will only postpone the days of evil. There is need for genuine and sincere policy of government to reorientate, sensitise and rebrand the minds   of men and women who drive these vehicles.

Similarly, there is need for infusion of new set of drivers with sound moral and requisite educational background. To achieve this, the bar and standard of recruitment of drivers and conductors of such buses will have to be raised to enable people of competent and good characters to embrace commercial driving as a legitimate work and which is not reserved for the druggery and scum of the society.

In this regard, I cannot but applaud Governor Akinwunmi  Ambode for his reformation of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) through the employment of graduates and educated people into the scheme.

Finally, let me say here that the experience on commercial buses is not completely bad. Sometimes, it could be funny and highly hilarious either from common jesters between the conductors / drivers of commercial buses and argument among passengers on national or local issues. At such a moment, it is always fun and exciting if you have time to spare for such busy body talks.

God bless Lagos!
God bless Nigeria!!