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| LASTMA officials on duty |
The incessant arrest of commercial bus drivers and
impounding of their vehicle by officials of the Lagos State Transport
Management Agency (LASTMA), will stop if passengers learn to comply with the
instruction of drivers to alight only at designated bus stops.
A commercial bus driver, Haruna Mustafa made the submission
today shortly after his arrest by LASMA officials at the Sura Market, Lagos Island.
Mustafa said, most times passengers refuse to head to
their directive to stop at designated bus stops, especially when in traffic.
Recounting his experience LASTMA, he said the passenger who
was supposed to alight at Sura-Junction,
decided to follow him a bit further, since he was driving to Obalende in the direction that was closer
to the passenger’s final destination.
As the passenger tried to open the car door when he was
not observing, there were the officials and he was arrested.
“I carried passenger for N100 and I was going to
Obalende. He was supposed to alight at Suru Market. Instead of the man to drop
at Sura and then trek to the other side of the market, he decided to wait,
because I wanted to follow that side to Obalende, and it was closer to his
direction. When the boy opened the door to come down, LASMA came and arrested me.
The man scot-free, not even knew that I have been arrested”.
Mr. Mustafa said the inability of passengers to be patience,
was the reason most drivers avoid Obalende route until after noon when traffic
has eased.
According him, while in the traffic, some passengers who
complain that they are belated for work, would not want to wait for the vehicle
to slowly decent from the junction on Lagos –Ibadan Expressway to P and T, at
Obalende.
He said in the
process of opening the car door to alight, eagle-eyed LASTMA officers who are permanently
there , arrest the driver.
“See it is problem that make drivers not to follow straight
to Obalende , when it is not up to 12, o’clock.
“For you to drive down to Victoria Island there must be
traffic.
“Passengers are not patient. They want to come down by
all means. But as anybody try to drop, the LASMA officers immediately come with
Okada, Marwa or patrol van, to arrest the vehicle”.
The driver appealed to the officials not to be too hash
on drivers because at times, it’s the passengers that put them in trouble.
In the morning,
traffic is usually high from the junction down to Obalende.
It could take up to an hour to descend , which often cause passengers
to be late for .
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