Taofik Bankole: About time bus conductors stopped “hanging” by the door
“Give me my N20 change!” a young lady, presumably in her 20s, shouted at the bus conductor.
“Come and drag it from my hand,” the tall, bearded bus conductor retorted.
Then came a sudden thud, with screams filling the bus.
On a wet Saturday morning over a year ago, I had witnessed one of the most horrific, yet humbling, accident on my way to a friend’s cousin’s wedding.
The wedding was somewhere along Igando road, an area of Lagos State, and I had boarded a bus at Egbeda.
Rain had fallen and it was still drizzling as I hopped onto the bus.
The young lady, who boarded the bus much later, wanted to pay N30 and had given the conductor N50. She wanted her “change” but he wasn’t having it.
An argument ensued and the conductor, who by now was barely hanging on the bus with head hung inside the door space, slipped while the bus was on top speed. He was on a white bathroom slippers and only held his money in his hands.
The driver was oblivious of what had happened, as he drove on. Screams of “Stop! Your conductor has fallen!!!” rented the bus. He stopped abruptly.
We all rushed back to see the conductor lying lifeless, blood gushing out of the head he had hit on the hard surface. And a rush to save his life began.
Whether he survived, I wouldn’t know.
Since the incident, I get an overwhelming feeling of paranoia every time I board a bus with the conductor hanging, unwilling to let go of N50 – N100 for the sake of his safety.
As I headed to work this Friday morning, a similar incident as the Igando tragedy almost replayed itself. Only this time, a passenger was QUICK and STRONG enough to grab the falling conductor’s hand.
He seemed fazed, opting to sit after receiving serious tongue lashing from passengers, but it wasn’t long before he hung again – just before I alighted.
They’ll not change, I’ve come to accept.
BUT then, there is LASTMA, or Police, or KAI operatives, or whoever – that are meant to enforce the law.
These agencies are grossly irresponsible in enforcing the law, paying attention to less important issues, dubiously extorting citizens and even engaging in abuse of civic/human rights in the name of discharging their duties.
Something needs to be done, and whatever that is, it needs to be done fast, and with more firmness. Innocent lives are being endangered by these careless conductors.
Anything could have happened when the driver of the Igando tragedy suddenly matched the brakes. An oncoming vehicle could have rammed into it, or swerve onto the pedestrian walkway in a bid to avoid a collision. Either ways, there would have been more casualties.
Enough of LASTMA officials struggling for the steering wheel with drivers, thereby endangering more lives.
Though we seem to have too many a force already, I sure wouldn’t kick against a War Against Hanging Conductors agency – If it wouldn’t turn into another bribery inducing agency, that is.
*Taofik Bankole’s column features on NewsroomNG every Friday.
