A new transportation policy which implies that Danfo, Molue and other yellow buses would vanish from Lagos roads as part of eff orts to transform Lagos into a mega city is being toyed with by the state government. TOPE MUSOWO reports
“When I wake up in the morning and see all these yellow buses and see Okada and all kinds of tricycles and then we claim we are a mega city, that is not true and we must fi rst acknowledge that that is a faulty connectivity that we are running”. Th e above statement affi rms Governor Ambode’s resolve to phase out yellow buses popularly known as Danfo from Lagos roads for a more effi cient, well-structured and world class mass transportation system that would facilitate ease of movement within the city. Speaking recently at the 14th Annual Lecture of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) held at Muson Centre in Onikan with the theme: “Living Well Together, Tomorrow: Th e Challenge Of Africa’s Future Cities,” the Governor admitted that the present connectivity mode in Lagos was not acceptable and befi tting for a mega city, and as such a well-structured transportation mode would soon be put in place to address the challenge.
To Ambode, the proposed Bus Reform Initiative is aimed at giving Lagosians an integrated public transportation system which he said would kick start this year with a sinking fund of N30billion,because the challenges Lagosians go through on a daily basis commuting via public transportation, need a viable alternative.
He said the Bus Reform Initiative is a three-year plan aimed at introducing over 5000 air-conditioned buses to replace the yellow commercial buses, popularly called Danfo, which according to him, was no longer befi tting for the State’s mega city status. “We decided that the best thing is to allow the yellow buses go and so the Bus Reform Initiative itself is a three-year plan of 2017 to 2019 in which it intends to bring in new buses of 5,000 units in the three-year plan.
Speaking on how the government intends to fund the initiative, the governor said that his administration would launch a public transportation infrastructure bond of N100billion that would span between seven to 10 years, revealing that the government already has a sinking fund which it intends to put into the bond. “By the time we have N30billion as sinking fund to drive the bus initiative against the bond of N100billion that we want to put into the market, there will be that credibility and credence that the bond will drive itself and that is the whole idea,” Governor Ambode said. He, however, said that the state government expects the Danfo drivers, who would be absorbed into the new initiative to adapt accordingly, saying that the transport unions would be expected to take ownership to ensure sustainability. “Th is is just a paradigm shift where Danfo drivers move from being addressed as Danfo drivers but as professional drivers.
So, we will buy back the Danfos from them and it becomes the seed money to become eventual owners of those buses in the years the facility is spread. “It is something we have been working on in the last one year and we don’t come out to say we are going to do anything without working properly on it. It is process and now we are at the advocacy process.
“We intend to start to go to the bus parks and all that to educate people and the integral part of these buses is what you see us trying to provide bus terminals, bays, bus stops. Th ey are coming in pieces but they will become a complete cup of delivering this particularly product when we put them together,” he explained Th e practicability of this is being demonstrated with BRT buses being managed by Primero Transport Company headed by Mr Demo Tinubu along Ikorodu road Really, people going from Ikorodu to CMS have started leaving their cars at home because the buses are very convenient and so the possibility of extending that to other places in Lagos.
Meanwhile, there is palpable fear among Danfo drivers in Lagos on how they could survive without their only means of lifelyhood, which Danfo driving. Of course,the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos Chapter, had advised its members not to panic over the proposed ban on operations of yellow buses. Th e state Chairman of the union, Mr Tajudeen Agbede, gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in Lagos. Agbede told journalists that the union was discussing the proposed ban with the government, adding that the union was ready to cooperate with the state government on its mega city project. “We are still discussing with the government on the proposed ban on yellow buses, but we believe it is going to yield a positive result. “Th e union is ready to comply with the conditions of making the state a mega city.
“We are ready to change the colour of our buses and also comply with the directive to follow the service lanes,” Agbede said. Despite Agbede’s advice, some union members still believe it’s going to be very diffi cult for them to thrive in Lagos without driving yellow bus as they know not other means of livelihood. A Danfo driver by name Waheed Ajani who spoke with Blueprint believes the government will be inviting trouble into the city if dare attempt to phase out Danfo in Lagos as proposed. According to Ajani,Danfo has been in Lagos from the time immemorial so why is Ambode troubling himself about them “Danfo don dey Lagos no be today,why he dey disturb himself,na where we dey chop,feed our family be this,we no disturb am,make he no disturb us o,if he to disturb us thief go plenty for Lagos o, I no wetin I dey talk o, you know how many people this my bus dey feed alone,I get two wives and 8 children,na this Danfo I take sponsor my children for school,one don graduate for poly now. My conductor dey there with him own family,Agbero self dey they there dey collect money everyday,wetin you wan make all of us dey chop if you comot us for road, thief go plenty o,I don talk my own o” Another one who gave his name as Femi believe governor Ambode does not mean well for Lagosians as he accused him many harsh policies.
He said,”Ambode own is too much,we have been doing our business without disturbing anybody, Asiwaju Tinubu no disturb us during his time, even Fashola theater people thought was wicked self did not disturb us It’s only this Ambode that said they should be arresting people selling in the traffi c, he still wants to send us away again ,the man just like to make life diffi cult for people in the name of building mega city, which mega city, if he build the city fi nish is it not people that will live their” Femi queried. But contrary to the opinion of Danfo drivers who thinks Lagos can hardly run without the yellow buses on the road, Lagosians believes phasing out Danfo drivers and yellow buses in Lagos is long overdue. According to Nurse Grace, “phasing out yellow buses will defi nitely reduce traffi c congestion in Lagos because of the time ,these Danfo drivers pack indiscriminately to pick passengers and causing unnecessary traffi c jam on the road ,so we will be happy if Ambode can take them all the street like he said.
She added that the Danfo drivers are too reckless in driving, they risk the lives of their passengers especially when trying to evade arrest from LASMA offi cials and other security agents, they drive across covert and climb over anytime as if they have duplicate of their lives at home. Another artisan who would not want his name in print said Ambode should just ensure there is alternative arrangements in place before phasing out yellow buses in Lagos. Th e governor should factor in the convenience of Lagosians as those buses he is proposing to bring in can only ply major roads that are wide enough for buses, while Danfo would still be needed on those street roads, he opined. Lagosians are however asking how Ambode intends to blend his dream of a mega city with the convenience of the people, and how to absorb the many people who depend on the yellow buses in Lagos for their daily living without making them susceptible to crime. Only the state governor can answer the questions.