War of words over fare

By Mike Ebonugwo

In Lagos, the fares charged by commercial vehicle operators are often a source of friction and quarrel between them and their passengers.

So, ordinarily there was really nothing unusual Wednesday last week when the driver and conductor of a Cele Express-bound bus engaged in a heated argument with some of their passengers.

But as is usual with such face-offs, there were all kinds of twists to it, with accusations and counter-accusations as there was also a sharp division among the passengers in respect of the matter.

But in this instance, the quarrel was a fallout of a breakdown in communication arising from a conflict of intention between the driver and his conductor. As the bus arrived the crowded Ikotun Bus-stop, there was a surge of passengers who jostled to board it. Taking advantage of the situation, the driver had told the struggling passengers to enter with “your N150 change O”.

On hearing this a few of the passengers pulled back, making way  for those who felt they had no choice but to pay since there were only few buses available at that time on account of the downpour earlier in the day.

But not quite long after there was a renewed surge to board the bus. Though the reason for this was not immediately obvious, it later emerged that contrary to the driver’s declared position that the fare to Cele Express was N150, the conductor was busy telling interested commuters to “enter for N120”.

So when the conductor started collecting the fare after the bus had left the park, the first set of passengers sitting in the front row seats paid N150, but those from the middle row to the back seats said they were paying N120. And on hearing this the driver flared up and immediately stopped the bus, threatening at the same time to drive back to the park.

“Look, what we’re collecting in this bus is N150; we will not collect anything less than that. So all of you saying that you will pay N120, I swear you are looking for serious trouble O. N120 ko, N10 ni,” he fumed.

But the passengers were not impressed with his outburst and insisted that they were going to pay N120 and not a kobo more. According one female passenger by name Eunice: “Driver, you’re just wasting your saliva for nothing because I will not pay more than N120. Your conductor called N120 and we entered; now you want to increase it to N150. Say wetin happen”.

Another passenger by name Romanus took it up from there. “Driver,  I will not pay more than N120 and I will not come down from this bus until you do your worst. Your conductor told us to pay N120 and you want o increase it by N30.

You want to use us to become millionaire, abi? You play Baba Ijebu kalo-kalo, millions no come, you come think say na inside bus you go use passengers become millionaire. You no well, I swear,” he submitted with heat.

For Sola, another passenger: “Don’t mind him. Look at his eyes like that of a thief. Come and collect N120 now. Maybe he doesn’t even know that it’s paining me seriously that I even agreed to pay N120.

Assuming rain did not fall I will not have paid more than N70″. But some of the passengers that paid N150 tried to persuade their fellow passengers to comply since the driver paid a lot of money to the agberos at the park. But the protesting passengers stuck to their gun. According to one of them: “You can pay for all of us since you don’t know what to do with your money”.