{"id":53014,"date":"2024-10-14T17:04:06","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T15:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/?p=53014"},"modified":"2024-10-14T17:04:06","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T15:04:06","slug":"women-give-thumbs-up-to-revised-bus-seating-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/women-give-thumbs-up-to-revised-bus-seating-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Women give thumbs up to revised bus seating policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Women passengers in Maiduguri say men have been taking advantage of them in overcrowded buses: They touch us inappropriately and if we complain, we are simply told to \u2018get off\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Skyrocketing fuel prices have forced thousands of residents of Maiduguri \u2013 the capital of Borno State \u2013 to park their cars and hang up their keys \u2026 and head for the nearest bus stop.
\nThe price has leapt from \u20a6200 a litre in May last year to more than \u20a61,000 \u2013 at some retail outlets the cost is \u20a61,250.
\nIn the past week, Ndarason 88.5 Maiduguri has been swamped by calls from listeners \u2013 some angry, others just full of despair \u2013 who bemoaned the latest fuel hike.<\/p>\n

The upward trajectory started on May 29 last year when President Bola Tinubu announced at his inauguration that the \u201cfuel subsidy is gone\u201d.<\/p>\n

The aim of removing the subsidy was to cut down on government spending. However, Tinubu had no realistic plan to cushion the hardships that would result.<\/p>\n

Immediately the price of fuel began to soar \u2013 and the escalation has not stopped.
\nWith the fuel hikes, the cost of all commodities \u2013 in particular food, even the basic staples, and transport \u2013 have increased. Sky-high inflation and the ever-slumping naira currency have compounded an already economically fraught time resulting in a severe cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n

In June, Nigeria\u2019s headline inflation rate accelerated to 34.19%, the highest since March 1996. The naira is in freefall, depreciating more than 50% since Olayemi \u201cYemi\u201d Cardosa assumed the governorship of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) a year ago.<\/p>\n

A study by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and the German development agency, GIZ, says more than 31.8 million Nigerians are acutely short of food.<\/p>\n

To try to ease the cost of transport in the state, the Borno State government bought more than 1,000 mega-, medium- and minibuses, including electric vehicles.
\nThe fare for the buses has been kept at \u20a650. This compares favourably with the \u20a6200 fare of commercial tricycles \u2013 what used to be the main means of transport for city dwellers.
\nAnd it explains the extremely long queues at bus stops.<\/p>\n

Grema Zanna Kyari, the general manager of the Borno Express, told RNI that about 400,000 residents of the city use the bus service daily.
\n\u201cWith the latest fuel hike, that number is set to increase,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

When the new buses came into operation, low- to middle-income earners were delighted \u2013 particularly women, who make up more that 85% of passengers because of their limited access to wealth.<\/p>\n

The Kanuri word \u201cNkanjimoli\u201d, loosely translated as \u201cmercy\u201d, was given to the bus service by its users.<\/p>\n

That alone describes how important the bus service is to residents \u2013 particularly women.<\/p>\n

With the recent fuel hike, Nkanjimoli is becoming even more attractive as hundreds of new users turn to bus transport every day.<\/p>\n

But, with the increased demand, tension between passengers has also escalated.
\nWomen said seating arrangements were no longer respected and other protocols not observed.<\/p>\n

To accommodate more passengers, drivers have been allowing more people to board. On a 55-seater bus, for example, drivers allow 100 passengers.<\/p>\n

Women passengers \u2013 as well as disabled people \u2013 complain that men \u201ctake ownership\u201d of buses, denying \u201cweaker members of the public\u201d access.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, October 2, Ndarason visited the motor-park to investigate complaints received by its listeners.<\/p>\n

Fatima Usman, 27, a student at Borno State University, said apart from the difficulties women faced gaining access, it was also not safe for women to use the service.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the seats are all occupied, the remaining passengers stand. Once you are standing, some men stand directly behind you and intentionally touch your body, taking advantage of the bus being overcrowded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you complain, the driver tells you to get off the bus and wait for another bus or use a tricycle that costs \u20a6200 per drop. The bus costs just \u20a650. So, we just keep quiet and stop complaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe buses are a nightmare for children. You hear children crying and screaming because they can hardly breathe. It\u2019s so hot and there are so many people. It\u2019s no use complaining. The answer is simple: \u2018Get off!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who suffer from asthma also have a hard time. They are forced for financial reasons to use the bus service, but most cannot complete a trip because they cannot breathe. There are too many people.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn two occasions I have seen asthmatic patients cut their trip short before they got near to their destinations. They were struggling to breathe. They just got off the bus,\u201d Fatima said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the economy continues to deteriorate, more than 50% of residents of Maiduguri now rely on buses daily,\u201d said Abubakar Aliyu, a public affairs analyst.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can remember when the buses were first introduced \u2013 very few people used them. They felt ashamed to be seen on a bus because it meant they were poor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not long ago that people laughed at those on the buses calling them names. But that\u2019s no longer the case. The current economic hardship is hitting everyone. There\u2019s no such thing as a middle-class family in Nigeria today; that status has been eroded. Now everyone is struggling financially,\u201d said Aliyu.<\/p>\n

Fatima Musa, 44, runs a small restaurant in Maiduguri.<\/p>\n

From her house in Bulumkutu to her restaurant in the Tashan Bama area of the city, she takes at least four different buses to and from work every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat seating arrangement? You are lucky if you get a seat. I hate it but I have to rely on the buses. I spend \u20a6200 every day.
\n\u201cIf I were to take four commercial tricycles it would cost me \u20a6800. The difference is enormous. As a small business owner, I have no choice than to use the buses.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Friday, October 04, two days after the programme \u2013 in which passengers expressed their views on the bus service and its failings \u2013 aired on Ndarason 88.5 Maiduguri, the management of Borno Express asked for right of reply.<\/p>\n

Borno Express did not want to comment on air during the programme.<\/p>\n

Kyari told RNI that management had warned drivers to stick to refrain from overloading buses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe suspended two drivers for allowing overloading. We took action during a supervisory visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut to be honest with you, it is clear that drivers are helpless and can\u2019t do much. In the current economic climate, there are so many people who use the service. They all troop on to the bus, pushing and shoving, and it is extremely difficult for the driver to impose the no overcrowding policy. No one listens. And if he insists, it could lead to a conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cNearly 400,000 people rely on the buses for their daily activities. It\u2019s a huge number and, with the recent rise in the cost of fuel, it is likely to get much higher. The state government is aware of the problem and is working hard to procure more buses to ease transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyari assured Ndarason that management would look into the concerns raised by the people and come up with solutions as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Kyari was true to his word. Management held a meeting with drivers on Sunday, October 6, and a revised policy came into effect on Monday, October 7.<\/p>\n

Ndarason visited the motor-park for the second time on Wednesday, October 9.
\nOur reporter boarded a bus at Office Area and was pleasantly surprised.
\nAll passengers were seated and not a single person was allowed to stand. Once all the were seated, the trip commenced.
\nAbdullahi Idriss, the driver, said he was delighted because it took a much shorter time to load passengers.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore it took us 20 minutes but now it takes less than five minutes. It allows us to undertake more trips. The passengers are happy and they are complying with the revised policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seated at a window, passenger Fatima Ali, who boarded the bus at Office Area and was heading to the Umaru Shehu Ultra-Modern Hospital Bulunkutu, said she was extremely impressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have the right words to describe my joy. I want to thank everyone involved. I feel much safer and I will be able to move comfortably around the city without any problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToday [Wednesday, October 9] is the second time I am using the bus service. The first time was four months ago. I decided then that I would not use it again for safety reasons. As a young woman, I really did not feel safe. But I can honestly say today is an improvement and I will be using the bus from now on\u201d.<\/p>\n

Another passenger, Hajju Lawan Bukar, thanked the management but urged them \u201cto keep up the good work\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you can see, we are happy and comfortable. But it is up to the drivers and passengers to keep it like this..
\n\u201cThe best way to sustain this is for the management to keep its promises and for the drivers to enforce the revised policy. Passengers must respect the changes and take ownership by reporting any driver who violates the policy,\u201d Hajju said.<\/p>\n

MAMMAN MAHMOOD<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Women passengers in Maiduguri say men have been taking advantage of them in overcrowded buses: They touch us inappropriately and if we complain, we are simply told to \u2018get off\u2019. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":53015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53014"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53014"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53016,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53014\/revisions\/53016"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ndarason.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}