PUBLIC TRANSPORT PALAVA

One of the things I tell myself whenever I encounter some of the many public transportation drama is that I have to such it up cause, it's called public transport for a reason amd if it bothered me so much, I should ger my own car.

Image is mine

Around here, in the city I live in, I can categorically say that the least of our worries in this regard is bad roads cause, while we considered his projects erratic, I can say that so far its been very helpful along the transport system. The former governor of this state invested so much on the road system(flyover, particularly).

He built so many flyovers, over thirty of them. Yes, flyover; even in locations where they are not necessary. Some of which are functional but rarely in use. Then there was good, working traffic signs(I can't tell their state now as some seem to have gone bad) too and for a while road movement had far more ease than I could remember.

However, this good infrastructure has not eliminated the other concerns of road users especially those who have to jump buses.

The most reason that I go out every day is school, and although my school is not a very long distance from home, I take public transport. What should be a 3minutes drive -(yes, it's not that far, a few students dont use transport but walk and take shortcut down there even)- could take up to seven miutes and you'll be so lucky if it's not more.

These days, before I get into any public transport especially the one that I would not be joining until their very last stop, I not just scan the vehicle, driver qnd conductor thoroughly and quickly, but I also say a silent prayer.

That prayer is important. Very much so. First is that some of these vehicle operators can be very cranky. One little thing and they're venting and pouring all of the bile that had been tightening their chest on you. But that's the littlest of the problem.

At the moment, due to the removal of fuel subsidy in the country, the prices of gas and petroleum products has hit the roof. In turn, passengers now have to pay more for fare, sometimes double the former price.
I don't mind this, as I understand that it's just the state of things.

When you finally get onboard the vehicle, your tension triples. And if you're in a hurry or have a time deadline to meet, it quadruples. For me who has to be in school early and whose house is not so far from school, I still get to worry about spending so long on the road. It's usually the case if you get into an almost empty transport as the driver might stop far too many times and in some occasions, stay for long at a spot waiting and hoping 'to load passengers' before moving. If you as much as register a complaint, they might turn it into a squabble.

Then there's the numerous police stops on the road. These people, more than the louts and agberos who are self-acclaimed tax force and road caretakers, have become a menace. At every point, between two bus stations, you get to see them. And for every time they halt a vehicle, you have to grease their palm, failure to do so and that might just be the end of business for the driver that day.

Even traffic wardens would leave their duty in between to get their cut. They're no longer much concerned about order on the road -I see drivers disrespect them far too often and use rude languages on them all because they give them money- but now help drivers load passengers and then take their pay. And you know what, I recently noticed that they give little paper cards/receipt as evidence that a driver has paid for that day. See, what I'm driving at is that, these habits of theirs cause so much traffic on the road than should be. On very busy roads, with hundred of vehicles each behind the other, trying to get to their destinations, it can be very terrible.

Away from that, you still have to worry about drivers who would rather remain at a spot because they and other drivers are unwilling to let one another go first(at T-junctions) than be civil.
Sometimes, I wish I could walk to school because, it's so certain that if I walked, I'd arrive school minutes befite the bus that I would have taken.

Conclusively, the major problems bothering the public system around here are due to the lack of working road signals, bad attitude of officials and price of petroleumproducts. It shouldn't be difficult to handle as the solution is in the problem but then...

Thanks for gracing this post.
Greetings!

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