Navigating Transport Fares...

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Today, I was reminded why I don’t really enjoy going out. Or let me rephrase that: I was reminded why I don’t enjoy going out in the morning or in the evening. Especially journeys that require me to get into multiple buses and navigate through traffic. They always have a way of messing you up in a way that will make you weak for days.

It’s stressful, that’s definitely a given, judging by the way the system is. But if the stress was the only factor, then it may not have been so bad. The truth is that, in the mornings and evenings, they can be the worst periods to make use of public transport.

When you’re leaving home to work early in the morning, the first realization that hits you is the shock that you’re not the only one who woke up early. Just as you woke up early to beat traffic, so did dozens of others. And as a result, you all met at the bus stop, fighting for the same limited buses so you can all go where you want to go.

But then, the drivers of these buses are basically a-holes, because when they see the crowd of prospective passengers, what do they do? They increase it! Drivers will use any excuse in the book to increase their fare. Dark clouds, late hour, early hours, rainy day, crowds… anything at all that translates to people being in a hurry, they would capitalize on it and push their prices up.

And that’s how it is almost every day, but in the morning and in the evening. Because in the morning, everyone is going to work, hence the heavy traffic. And in the evening, everyone is returning home, hence the evening traffic. However, in the afternoon, that happens to be the best and cheapest time to make your trip… except that the sun is usually at its most vengeful then.

In the afternoon, you won’t have to struggle for buses. Matter of fact, there will be more buses than customers, and they’d be begging you to enter. The road will be freer, and you won’t have to deal with pesky traffic, unless something major happens on the road. A fare that was N700 in the morning can drop to N400 in the afternoon, but shoot right back up to N700 in the evening. Is this the stock exchange or what? Hehe…😂

The truth is, drivers set their fares based on the happenings and people’s desperation to move about. That’s why a fare that’s usually N400 can suddenly become N1000 simply because it’s raining and they know that everyone would want to get home before the rain begins. And even after the rain, they might still keep the fare at N1000 and claim it’s because of the subsequent flood from the rain.

So, I went out early today and for the first time in years, I had to see what people went through every morning. It wasn’t fun at all. But it was an eye-opening experience. While I prefer to go out in the afternoon when it would be cheaper for me, I know that not everyone has that luxury. Besides, not everyone will be willing to make trips under the hot sun.

My point is, if you know how to navigate the fares, especially in this Lagos, you would be able to set your trips in a way that you may not spend so much. But it’s not easy, and might not work for everyone. It just crossed my mind during the trip and I though I should share it here. The cost of transportation is really coming after my mental health.

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{N.B: All images used in this post are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.}

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