Tuesday, September 9, 2008

BRT :The new face of TRANSPORTATION in LAGOS.




March 17th, 2008 ushered in a revolutionary change in the face of transportation within the Lagos Metropolis with the launching of the BUS RAPID TRANSIT (BRT) system in Lagos. Before now transportation within Lagos has always been ‘chaotic, stressful, and depressing ‘ according to the words of Mrs. Taiwo, a nursing mother who regularly transits from Mile 2 to CMS and back , to and from work every single working day

Indeed, transiting within Lagos required more time than is available in the hands of the average Lagos worker. Terrible traffic jams, extremely long queues of irrationally behaving (Danfo)Minibus drivers ,their buses and their conductors make the life of a commuter extremely unbearable. The BRT system in Lagos is therefore more than a welcome development for the masses who as at today are already using the service maximally.

But the BRT system did not only come with Buses. BRT also brought along new bus stops ,which are called Bus Shelters, a new pool of drivers called Bus Pilots and conductors called Bus Assistants. More and more people seem to be using the system more than was anticipated and such massive patronage has sort of brought to the fore the limitations of the system and the need to address certain anomalies
A lot of commuters on the BRT route complain of the ill-mannered behavior
of the Bus Assistants, and the fact that bus stops are not announced for passengers, especially those who may have no idea of where they are , or for passengers who might have only come to Lagos recently. My suggestions are that the Bus Assistants should be sent on crash customer relations courses , for them to understand the importance of being polite , and moreover , how to relate with passengers. This is of absolute importance , or before long, they too will go the way of the old DANFO Conductors and become outright abrasive and this could trigger a serious loss of patronage.

Furthermore, it would make things a lot easier for the commuters if the Bus Assistants were equipped with microphones to call out the various Bus Shelters along the route . Commuters who are not familiar with a particular route will in this way be more comfortable traveling on the BRT buses.

With these suggestions implemented , BRT would indeed have truly become the new face of Transportation in Lagos State.


Eagles Eyes
www.gistplatform.blogspot.com

No comments: