Commercial bus drivers plying the Lagos-Badagry Expressway on Thursday 4th March 2021 have expressed their grievances on the alleged introduction of new ticket by the State.
The no-movement protest at each bus-stop along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway from Badagry roundabout to Mile-two caused passengers to be stranded on the expressway as commercial bus drivers refused to operate.
The Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Badagry Roundabout, Comr. Segun Muniru stated that the strike by the commercial bus drivers is as a result of the alleged introduction of ticket by the State Government.
“Lagos State Government issued Lagos State Consolidated Daily Ticket for buses and the printed amount on it is N800 for each vehicle per day, they now directed the ticket to the Union as the transporters so we should be issuing it out.
“We collected the ticket from the State Council, this morning we noticed that the commercial drivers at each bus-stop are not operating. …Maybe the N800 is too much for them to afford, that is why, they are not loading from Mowo, Iyana-Era and Iyana-Isashi and others, drivers are passing out the grievances in the garage,” he said.
One of the bus drivers at Roundabout, Mr. Felix aka. Pastor said “This morning when I got to the garage to book, I was told that booking is 500 and the Lagos State Government has issued out another ticket for 800 and the union will also issue 200 ticket…This caused misunderstanding as a lot of drivers insist that they cannot pay it because the ticket fee is too much”
“Man must survive so I started loading, but after loading, some co-drivers came back to inform us that there is no route to pass, there is no money outside, we can’t pay for the ticket every day, if we increase transport fare now, the passengers will be affected and it will affect our business too.” He added.
One Emmanuel opined that the money collected from the drivers is too much, adding that the passengers are the one that suffer the consequences.
“They should help us reduce the money collected from these people so that there will not be an increase in t.fare. Today now, I have to trek down from Aradagun to Age-Mowo when I saw that the situation of things is the same, I was forced to get a bike to convey me back home and forfeit work for today.”
Another bus driver who pleaded anonymity said “RTEAN is giving us N200 ticket daily which is affordable, state government too just introduced theirs for N800 every day, the money is too much, if the state government can make it weekly at that N800, we will understand that the money is needed to sort out some things. Now people are stranded at each bus-stop, the state government should see into this please”
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