LAGOSIANS AND AWOOF…

ON LAGOSIANS AND AWOOF BRT…

Lagosians queuing to board BRT buses.  Photo: The Next Newspaper.

If a poll were to be taken on the favourite word of lagosians, you may not find the result in the dictionary. This is because the word would probably be “awoof”, a colloquial term that refers to any good or service that is enjoyed for free as exemplified by the free transportation of commuters via the BRT buses on public holidays such as the Eid-il-Mubarak, Eid-il-Filtri, Easter, Christmas and New Year holidays.

As BRT buses were boarded for free during the Eid-il Filtri,  I could not help but notice that the impatient retreats to board the yellow buses were missing as commuters waited patiently on the long queues for the arrival of the buses (me inclusive…!). Take it or leave it, many lagosians had decided to go on visits that holiday only because their destinations were BRT courses and of course, transport fare became “done away with”. Mr. Ibrahim Lawal, a commuter commended the efforts of the government in putting a smile on the faces of lagosians as the free initiative has reduced his expenditure during the celebration period.

Over-population

Although commuters had waited patiently for the buses there seemed to have been fewer of them irrespective of the fact that there was less traffic on the road. Also, buses that were plying the specific destinations had passed without waiting to pick up the passengers. Angry commuters had almost resorted to flagging down empty BRT buses that passed by.

A man on red shirt at the Oshodi bus terminus heaped abuses at the driver of the bus as he finally arrived. Monday Ajanaku, a commuter suspected that the passengers were being taken for granted because of the fact that it is free. Another commuter noted that the number of standing passengers had sky-rocketed thereby leading to over-population in the bus.

However, Austin Wat, a pilot, asserted that the increase in the population of passengers was the major cause of the delay as there was always a crowd at the bus terminus irrespective of the speed with which he got there. Ogunniran Toyin, a Station Officer also noted that many passengers do not note that the maximum number of standing passengers in a BRT bus according to the regulation is 36 and at no circumstance will the number be exceeded. “Many passengers do not ordinarily want to stand and that is why we hardly have the maximum number of standing passengers except during holiday periods as these when the service is free”, she said.

She also noted that some public holidays such as the Children’s Day is not covered by the free initiative although children in uniform are normally allowed to board the buses for free.

Pilots and ticket sellers not smiling

Pilots however lament the fact that they are not free during public holidays. Nonetheless, they commend the initiative of the Lagos State Government to have two shifts of eight hours each everyday for them. Commenting on the endless queue at the Oshodi axis of the state, Mr. Awosanya, a bus pilot, reserved that this is unavoidable as Oshodi is the “headquarters of Lagos State”. General Humphrey, another bus pilot lamented that there were no incentives for them during holidays and complained about deductions from their salaries whenever they were absent. He opined generally that the payment is poor although regular and attributed this to the fact that they are clients contracted by agents who receive commission on their salaries instead of being directly employed by the Lagos State Government. He called on the Lagos State Government to do something about it. Ticket sellers also receive reduced commission during holiday periods due to a reduction in the number of stories sold.

 

Collect money but give us good services?

Some passengers had angrily retorted that the transport fare should have been retained in order to ensure good services. Nevertheless, on closer examination, majority had supported the free initiative.  Mrs Abisola Adewoyin, another commuter said that it is very commendable that the welfare of the masses is taken into consideration by the masses at celebration periods. Ajanaku also noted that since the holidays are once in a while, imbibing patience in the boarding of BRT buses on these days is not too much to ask for.

Just for a day!

Passengers that boarded the  BRT buses on Wednesday (expecting not to pay) were however, disappointed as the ticket sellers were not absent on the BRT Stop Structures. Some looked stupefied as the bus pilots demanded for their tickets before entering the bus. Was the holiday not supposed to be for two days? (I asked myself…*winks*). I was so vexed that I decided to use my journalism prowess (I hope these people are not cheating us!!!) and decided to ask one of the drivers whose name was Mr. Toye Idowu.The man explained that it was just for a day out of the holidays. “If the free BRT is for the whole holiday, how will my salary be paid?” he asked rhetorically.

For a city hitherto known for lawlessness and disorder, the BRT scheme of Babatunde Raji Fashola, introduced on March 17 2008,  has proven to be a be a success, improving the commute of thousands of people without the synonymous fights, pilfering and arguments. Furthermore, the BRT has decreased fares by 40 percent and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 13 percent. The system also resulted in direct and indirect employment, contributing to economic growth and poverty reduction.