The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation and the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) have been charged to urgently address illicit activities ongoing at Bus Terminal Three, Oshodi, where commuters traveling to Ikorodu area, stay on queue to board the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) vehicles.

Many of the commuters, who patronised the BRT buses to avoid the excruciating hike in transportation fare, following the fuel subsidy removal were not impressed by the corrupt, partial and disrespectful activities of the BRT staff especially in the evening when they are returning to their homes.

The Guardian observed on November 21, 2023 at about 6:30.p.m. to 8:30. p.m., that many commuters who had stayed on the long queue anticipating it would soon be their turn to board the bus, left the queue in anger to board the regular commercial buses.

Painfully, this was after some of them had loaded tokens on their cowry cards. However, those who cannot afford the fare for the regular commercial buses remained on the queue but not without bitter complaints. Some of them even confronted the BRT officials, which almost led to a free-for-all.

Part of the complaints The Guardian gathered from the irked commuters was that only one BRT bus is strategically allowed to stand and pick passengers at a time. If other buses are available, the strategy is the bus or buses would be directed to park as if it is not going to load passengers.

It was observed that among the buses that were parked, the officials would have loaded a few commuters inside the buses after having allegedly collected some bribe from them. These sets of commuters never bothered to stay in the queue.

Using darkness as a cover, the BRT officials load more of their special passengers on the buses.

An angry commuter told The Guardian, “See they will not put on the light inside the bus so that we on the queue wouldn’t see that they have loaded some people inside it.”

At about 7:45 p.m., the same day, some of the angry commuters on the line had to walk away to join regular commercial buses. When asked why she left the queue, an angry woman, name withheld retorted, “Can’t you see the shenanigan going on? I have been on this queue for almost an hour and about three buses have loaded and gone and we are not leaving the same spot. Look at how crowded the entrance to the bus is. The officials are abating corruption and encouraging people to jump the queue.

“It is painful that one Alhaja, a slim tall and light complexion woman, who used to be among the BRT officials has been absent for some days, otherwise this nonsense wouldn’t have happened.”

Another commuter also called the attention of The Guardian to the strategy deployed by the officials by not allowing those buses to carry those that want to stand. He said, “Aside from the fact that they turned off the light inside the bus to conceal the numbers of those on board that did not use the queue, they also do not allow the bus to pick up those who prefer to stand from the queue.

“They would have asked some of their friends and those who tip them to stand somewhere. The bus will then go and carry them immediately when it leaves the line.”

It is also observed that the entrance of the bus, which used to be properly coordinated and peaceful anytime the so-called Alhaja is on ground, has been very chaotic and a kind of survival of the fittest in the last few days. Those with strength to struggle do while the weak and vulnerable commuters stay on the long queue gnashing their teeth.

A commuter going to Agric Bus Stop, appealed to the government to address the issue, saying, “Although it looks insignificant, to come here and spend hours on the queue looks defeating to the purpose for which BRT was created. We appeal to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to fish out the bad eggs among the BRT workers to return sanity. Since they no longer touch cash or use tickets, the new strategy is to encourage desperate commuters to beat the queue.”