Commuters groan as BRT buses suspend operations over Bamise’s death

Commuters in Lagos, on Tuesday, had a torrid time going to work early in the morning and returning back home from work in the evening as BRT buses suspended bus operations across the State over possible attacks from angry youths following the death of one Miss Oluwabamise Ayanwole, on Monday.

When Tribune Online visited the Abule-Egba park of the BRT buses on Tuesday morning, the park which runs dedicated trips from Abule-Egba to Oshodi and CMS/Marina was a shadow of itself. Many BRT buses were seen parked inside the garage without any staff of the bus companies seen around.

Many passengers who had thronged the park were left disappointed, looking for alternative means of getting to their workplace.

Also, at the Obalende park of the BRT station, many buses were seen parked without drivers inside them around 4 pm on Tuesday.

When our Correspondent approached a lady selling nose masks near the BRT park in Obalende, she explained that the BRT buses didn’t work because of fear that angry Lagosians might attack and vandalise the buses over the death of Miss Oluwabamise Ayanwole.

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According to the Lady who simply identified herself as Miss Funmi, “The BRT buses already told us yesterday (Monday) evening that they might not work today (Tuesday). You know a BRT bus driver was connected to the death of Miss Oluwabamise Ayanwole, so the operators decided to suspend operations out of fear that what happened during the End SARS protest where many BRT buses were vandalised, could repeat itself.”

A cross-section of passengers also lamented the lack of communication from the BRT operators to passengers ahead of the suspension of bus trips on Tuesday.

Speaking with Tribune Online, Mrs Folake Akinla, a banker who works with one of the commercial banks in Marina lamented about the increased amount of money she had to spend to get to work through the commercial buses that ply the island.

In the words of Mrs Akinla, “They (BRT Operators) could have informed passengers on Monday that they won’t work on Tuesday so that everybody would have arranged alternative transport means to their place of work.

“I still used the BRT on Monday and didn’t hear anything from the workers or at their terminal in TBS. It’s cheaper for me to get to the island from Abule-Egba with just N500 for one BRT bus trip, but now I had to spend almost a thousand Naira because the commercial buses charge arbitrary transport fares to get to the island.

“After I left the Abule-Egba BRT park without getting a bus, I had to board a bus to Agege and then board another bus to Ikeja before I could get a bus to CMS. It cost me more because there was no prior information that the BRT buses won’t work today. If I knew they won’t work, I won’t even come to Abule-Egba to get a bus to the island.”

When contacted, the Spokesman of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mr Kolawole Ojelabi, declined to comment on the issue.