LAGBUS: Lagosians’ new parliament

Photo: Akin Adewakun

Akin Adewakun reports Lagosians’ new love for the newly introduced Rapid Transport buses (LAGBUS) by the state government and how passengers have virtually turned the buses into people’s parliament where issues of national importance are discussed .

Living in Lagos could be stressful. This is because of the huge number of people who reside in the state, which is put at over nine million by the latest census figures, though many believe the figure is much higher. As a result of this huge population, comes a strain on public infrastructure, that are dwindling on the number of people who use them.

While the roads are increasingly becoming congested because of the ever-increasing number of vehicles, the city is also having more than its own fair share of the energy challenge, a problem that is gradually grinding the nation’s economic wheel to a halt. Like in other cities across the country where transportation is one of the challenges facing the government, the Lagos State government recently rolled out a number of buses, popularly known as the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) or LAGBUS to replace the molue, saving Lagosians from the hazards of travelling in the dangerous Molue and the rickety Danfo buses.

The idea of the BRT buses, according to the Lagos State government, was to provide Lagosians a better, more affordable and decent means of transportation. However, in Iyana Ipaja - CMS, Berger- CMS, Ketu–CMS and other routes where the BRT buses ply, it has, interestingly, revealed the other side of Lagosians. A trip in one of the buses provided Lagos Life the opportunity of assessing the mindset of a cross-section of Lagosians on a number of topical issues, ranging from politics to the nation’s economy and other aspects of human endeavours. While in one of the buses, a middle-aged woman actually triggered-off the first round of the debate that lasted for close to an hour, she had complained that the cost of N150 for a trip from Iyana Ipaja to CMS was rather exorbitant.

She claimed that since the LAGBUS was a government project, then Lagosians must enjoy some subsidies. “Look at the labour buses, they are cheaper, very affordbale”, she said, saying the new buses should not charge the same amount as the private commercial buses. Though, it is on record that in Iyana Ipaja motor park, buses that ply that route charge N200 for the same trip, despite their inconveniences. In most cases, five passengers were made to sit on a row. A man then countered the woman saying, “If you want a decent means of transportation, you should be ready to pay for it. And, I don’t think a fee of N150 for a trip from Iyana Ipaja to CMS is too much”,

He said the labour buses the woman talked about was ill-maintained and no right-thinking government would allow its citizens to be transported so crudely”. Kemi is a 200-level law undergraduate student of the University of Lagos, Akoka. In her opinion, she said the country was financially-endowed to subsidise some of the basic needs of her citizens. “Look at what happened in the House of Representatives, where it was alleged that the former Speaker mismanaged N628million on mere renovations of houses. Since the country could afford such luxuries, why can’t our government extend such gestures to the average Nigerian”, she said.

“You shouldn’t be complaining about that”, countered another middle-aged man, who claimed that he had been working on the Island with a frontline hotel for over 15 years. “In the past, we used to think the female folks were aversed to corruption”, apparently refering to the scandal that rocked the House of Assembly under the leadership of a woman. This remark threw all the male passengers in the bus into laughter. Continuing, he said, “but thank God, the former Speaker has proved to us that corruption has no gender and what a man can do, a woman can do it better.” Another woman, while supporting the effort of the Lagos State government, said “we should commend the government. Are these buses not neater, decent and more convenient than those commercial buses?”, she asked.

Speaking further, she said if anybody wanted the price to be reduced, then they should be ready to float their own transport business. Not satisfied, Kemi complained that the state government had not fulfilled its own side of the promise it entered into when rolling out the buses. “Afterall, when the buses were being inaugurated, the impression government gave us was that one would always arrive at his/her destination in time, immuned to the regular Lagos go slow. “I remember vividly that this was one of the reasons given by the government for embarking on the project”, she added. The arguments were well marshalled with everybody having his/her say. Another interesting thing that was observed was that as each of the ‘discussants’ disembarked from the bus, he/ she took time to bid fellow ‘discussants’ bye.

A pointer to the fact that Nigerians are not necessarily the unruly type as they are being portrayed by those in the House of Representatives, who, in a bid to remove the Speaker, resorted into fighting.