By Ola Ajayi, Fisayo Ogunwale & Bukola Ifegbayi

When the idea of mass transit was initiated by the Governor Abiola Ajimobi-led administration, it had the intention of increasing the internally generated revenue which was too low to meet various developmental needs of the state. Also, the transportation scheme tagged, ‘Ajumose shuttle’ was aimed at reducing the transportation problem of millions of people in the Pacesetter State. The initiative effectively checked the excesses of commercial drivers who before, then were fond of introducing outrageous fares at any slightest opportunity.

Ajimobi-shuttle

So, when the buses which are painted in golden yellow and wine, being the newly introduced official colour of the Oyo State government,   were sent to all nooks and crannies of the state, many people applauded the move.

The government also took a giant stride by making the buses free for all students in the state both public and private schools. The workers in the state are also enjoying the gesture free of charge to and fro.

Since the Ajumose shuttle was launched in April, 2013, residents in the state irrespective of your political inclination, queue in large numbers waiting for the arrival of the Ajumose buses in designated bus stops.

For the residents, they only pay highly subsidized fare which forced the commercial drivers in the state who had been milking passengers dry by introducing unaffordable fare to reduce their fares. As soon as you board the bus, you pay your money and a ticket is given to you by the bus conductors. The tickets are printed in various denominations ranging from N20 to N50 depending on the distance you want to cover.

The amount of money realized from sale of ticket will be remitted to their supervisors at the end of the day. This was how the scheme was being run until some of the hired bus conductors apparently in connivance with drivers started introducing some sharp practices which will surely have serious financial consequences on the government.

Vanguard having noticed some discrepancies by the officials of the Ajumose Shuttle, boarded the buses to different parts of the state. Investigations revealed that government purse will be depleted from time to time due to the unwholesome behaviours of some of the drivers. Different methods are employed by the drivers and conductors assigned to the buses.

They either don’t give tickets to passengers on the flimsy excuses that tickets are in short supply or collect the tickets after each passenger alights from the bus only to give that same ticket to other passengers boarding the buses. When Vanguard correspondent boarded one of the buses from Eleyele to Ologuneru, tickets were given out normally to passengers and this continued until the evening when everybody was rushing home. By this time, the conductors collect the money without giving out any ticket.

The same thing was observed from Iwo road to   Molete, challenge, Orita Challenge and other routes. Speaking with one of the regular passengers of the Ajumose buses who preferred not to be named, he said, “the only thing I notice in the morning is that we queued up to pay and were given ticket before we boarded the bus. But, in the evening around 6:30pm when going back home we usually rush into the buses. By the time we sit down, they collect money from us without   giving ticket.

Another passenger, Abosede Bodunrin said, “I   am not a regular passenger. But whenever I decide to use the bus, I don’t collect ticket. They just collect money from me. Another passenger who is a lady said, “this scheme is a wonderful initiative by the government. But, what I have observed sometimes when I board this bus is that we queue and are given tickets. But,   as you alight, you return the tickets to the conductor, the purpose of this I don’t know”.

Apparently suspicious that the game is over, some of the drivers spoken to refused to make comments. They claim they are not authorized to talk to the press and the moment they know that newsmen are on board, they do the right thing. When asked why some passengers give them back the tickets, some say what will they do with a torn ticket adding that it is a big relief if they(conductors) decide to hold it. It was discovered that some of the passengers did not know why the conductors collect the tickets.

But, some enlightened passengers do insist on collecting their tickets because of the inscription on the bus that if a passenger fails to present his ticket at the exit door, he will be liable to a fine of   N5,000 or risked being taken to court. With the sharp practices of these drivers, government officials in charge of the buses need to do more monitoring to ensure that the internally generated revenue of the government is not depleted by these illegal acts.