What to expect in a Public Bus !

Lagos is the most populous city in Nigeria and accounts for about 8% of the total population of the country.  People need to get around, and mostly do so with public transportation.

We’ve probably had to commute via public transportation one time or the other, and recently I had a mini rant in my head about all the things I hate about being in a public bus.

In Lagos, there’s six of them;

• The Bus Rapid Transit also known as BRTs,
• The Yellow Lorries also known as Molue,
• The Yellow Buses also known as Danfo,
• The Yellow Minibuses,
• The Tricycles also known as Keke Maurwa and
• The Motorcycles also known as Okada.

I’ve mostly been in the yellow buses, so here’s what you should expect if you’ll be in any one of them.

• There will be a lot of stops on the way, because they will need to drop passengers at different bus stops and pick up new passengers so they can refill the empty seats. This is definitely not the best choice if you’re in a hurry, believe me !

Image source : businessdayonline.com

• The bus conductors {these guys collect the transport fare during the journey}  can be very rude. If they have your balance, it’ll be in tattered notes. If they don’t have your balance, they will most likely pair you with a complete stranger to split your balance with. This means you will have to wander at your bus stop to find lower denominations, which is very annoying.

Image source : informationng.com

• Prepare to smell like other people irrespective of their body odour lol.  The bus will reek of fish, tomatoes and fumes from other vehicles on the road. Please carry a body mist or something you can spray in your bag, or you risk smelling like something you don’t even know.

Image source : Bernard Kalu via plus.google.com

• Get ready to meet the conductors that will want to squeeze you on a seat like sardines because they want some extra money. You might end up seating with four people in a row, instead of three people and you pay the same fare.

 

Image source : reuters.com

What is your public bus transportation like ?  Do you have any similar experiences ?

I’d love to know what the public transport system is like where you live. Please leave me a comment !