It is now five weeks since the Lagos State Governor; Babajide Sanwo-Olu restricted commercial tricyclists and motorcyclists, popularly known as keke Marwa and okada from plying in six major local councils, major highways and bridges. While compliance is high in some of the restricted areas, it is business as usual in others, with the police extorting the commercial motorcyclists and looking the other way. A good number of the affected operators have found their way to the outskirts like Sango, Ikorodu, Alimosho, Iba and others, thereby, increasing their number in those places.
The restricted means of transportation are back. They ply these restricted routes though not in large numbers as before. While some have hailed the restriction, it is bad news for commuters, as the few available buses and cabs have capitalised on the scarcity of public transportation by hiking transport fares to as much as a 100%. This has led to increase in the number of stranded commuters at bus stops.
Huhuonline.com visited some areas like Ilupeju, Surulere, Lagos Island and Yaba and found that the restriction was effective during the day but not at night. Some parts of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and Ikorodu Road, into Ikorodu Town have completely ignored the ban, with police officers deployed to enforce the ban having a field day extorting the commercial motorcyclists. “They have no intention of enforcing the ban. They want to obtain money from us. Before, we used to pay them N500 but now, they have increased it to N1,000,” one motorist said.
In Surulere where the ban is effective, many people have converted their private cars to commercial, charging N100 for distances that used to be N50. “The worst part is how they squeeze people like sardines, carrying four people at the back and two in front, so they can make maximum profit,” an aggrieved passenger said.
However, the driver, who identified himself as Lekan Moruff, said it was not his fault, as the touts were billing them almost N2,500 daily on all kinds of flimsy charge. “Tricyclists used to pay about N1, 500 daily when they were plying these routes, but miscreants (agbero) said we were carrying more people and inflated their daily charges. We had to double the transport fare and carry more people because we have to make profit as well,” he said.
These buses and taxis are, however, not enough as Huhuonline.com observed. Bus stops and parks are usually filled with stranded commuters waiting for non-available vehicles. The traffic situation isn’t any better with the ban as road users are stranded and keep waiting for endless hours. This is after the state government promised to add 550 new buses and 14 ferries to cushion the effects of the ban, a promise that Lagos commuters are yet to feel.
The buses are few and hardly come and the promised buses are nowhere to be found, talk less of the ferries. Besides, for people living in Ogijo, Mosimi and environs, the ferries are almost useless. Besides, Commercial buses (danfo) are worse than tricycles and motorcycles, which the Lagos administration said constituted a menace. The buses are rickety and the drivers drive as if they have mental challenges.
Even after the ban, the price remained the same in Alimosho LGA because tricycles and motorcycles still operated around there. It was when the ban first took effect that the Okada riders were afraid but now they ply the road to Ojo freely. But in places like Iyana-Iba and Mile 2, the transport fare has doubled because of the traffic around that axis.
In Lagos Island, the ban is still very effective on the Island but the cost of transportation has doubled. The ban is still very effective, because motorcycles and tricycles only operate inside inner streets not on the highways. However, this has caused an increase in transport fares because the places where tricycles will take you to for N50, the buses will take you there for N100. But at night they ply the major roads but with caution because of the police. They give themselves signs if they sight policemen on a particular route they are not supposed to ply, and they quickly disappear till the police move on.
Since the restriction began, the cost of transport has gone up. Last week, the fare to Idumota that used to be N150 was increased to N200. People who use motorcycles as alternative transportation do not care about their own safety; Lagos needs more motors and trains for transport and not motorcycles. Traffic in Lagos is mostly caused by bad roads, bad vehicles on the road or accidents.
