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Public Transport In Lagos; My Experience



Good Morning Dear OTTH Readers, I hope we’re fine this morning? We should be fine since it’s almost the end of the week so we can rest from the stress of the week and even chill out or turn up. I was going to tell us a throwback story today since its throwback Thursday but something serious happened on Monday so I said I would write about it instead and keep my throwback story for later. Before now, I’ve told myself and God and I still keep telling God that I don’t want to take public transport when I’m pregnant and even when I have kids because what I experience as a single person isn’t something I want my unborn and born children to experience.  I don’t want my children to take public transport until they are grown enough to handle the hustle and bustle of Lagos (if I’m based in Lagos when I have kids). Dear future husband, please note; NO PUBLIC TRANSPORT WHEN I START HAVING KIDS. 
 Here’s my story……

On Monday, on my way back home from work through public transport, the bus I entered was filled with mostly women with some of their kids with them, about five kids from my estimation. There was serious traffic jam as is the norm when you’re driving in Lagos so my bus driver decided to pass through short-cuts and there’s nothing wrong with that. Personally, I’m not usually bothered about the routes bus drivers take as long as it will get me to my required destination. It was all fun and games driving through the short cut till the driver told one woman who was carrying her very troublesome child to alight somewhere that was quite far from her bus-stop without planning to return to her part of her transport fare. The woman refused to alight and all the other women in the bus supported her and some even took it upon themselves to attack the driver on her behalf. The driver didn’t even bulge, he just drove on and went even farther and farther. I had my ears plugged but the noise was penetrating so I had to pause my music for a while to listen to what the problem was just incase I needed to run, lol. That was when I heard everything that was going on, the women just kept insulting the driver and everything related to him. The driver eventually drove out to the main road from the short cuts then told the woman to drop, this time she did but the women expected the driver to give her at least 50 naira to get to her destination since she paid 120naira initially but the driver didn’t so they all rained curses on him and the woman left with her child.
After the woman alighted, another woman entered the bus innocently ignorant of the conflict at hand and almost immediately, the other women commanded her not to pay the driver and one even made it clear that if she made any attempt to pay, she’d collect the money from her and rip it to pieces. I was quite interested in the money tearing part though my ears were plugged but that part caught my interest. When the new woman was going to alight from the bus, she paid and I didn’t see anyone making any attempt to tear the money, easier said than done I guess. We continued on our journey safely until one of the woman who was leading the “coupe” wanted to alight, I think the driver had plans for her unknown to the rest of us. So she alighted and asked for her 30 naira change but he asked her to bring 20 naira to collect 50 naira and she said she didn’t have so the driver attempted to drive off without giving her the change but she entered the bus quickly and dragged all the money from the driver and tried to alight from the bus and the driver dared her to alight but she didn’t. I finally got to my bus-stop and alighted so the woman got down too and the driver did same then my bus-stop became a battle ground as they fought but I didn’t watch sha because I don’t watch fights except if its in a movie. I won’t let someone break my head or give me any scar no matter how little.
Secretly though, I wanted to know the end of the story but I just couldn’t. Well, the incident only made my decision towards not taking public transport when I get pregnant stronger because I cannot imagine going through this several times in a week. This is the end of my story. Have a nice weekend, byeeeeee.


Facebook - Odusola Aanuoluwapo
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