Commuters stranded, 15 injured as LAGBUS workers protest against road ban
Some of the stranded passengers...yesterday
It was gathered that the protesting LAGBUS workers vandalised 20 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses (blue) as well as blocked the Ikorodu Road to prevent the blue buses from working.
No fewer than 15 commuters, including drivers of Primero Bus Services, operator of the BRT, were hospitalized, during the protest in the early hours of yesterday,.
On Friday, the state government banned LAGBUS from plying the Ikorodu Road corridor with effect from Monday (yesterday). Many commuters were stranded, as the BRT buses were inadequate to convey them to and from their destinations.
Drivers and ticketers of LAGBUS took to the highway at Majidun to protest the ban on their vehicles from plying the dedicated BRT lanes across the state. The protesters were seen displaying leaves in front of the BRT buses terminal at Majidun in Ikorodu.
The protest caused heavy gridlock from Majidun to Benson Bus Stop. Commuters complained of the hardship they were made to go through because of the withdrawal of the buses from the route.
Some commuters, who were caught unawares by the strike, said they would return home, as they could not afford the sudden hike in transport fares by other commercial buses.
Mr. Amusa Johnson, a civil servant, said he was at the bus stop since 6:00a.m. waiting for the red buses before he later found out that they were on strike. “Public transporters, popularly known as danfo buses immediately increased their fares because of the number of commuters stranded at the bus stops,” he said.
Mrs. Omolara Akinjuyi, a trader at Idumota market, described the situation as “unfortunate and pathetic”. Akinjuyi also said other commercial buses took advantage of the situation to increase their fares by about 70 per cent, which resulted to some people returning to their various homes.
“When I saw the magnitude of people stranded at the bus stop, I decided to go back home because I cannot afford the fares charged by other commercial buses,” she said.
Mr. Alex Nwankwo, an apprentice, said he decided to go back home as the situation was unbearable. “We have been standing here on the queue for over two hours, even the blue buses that are on ground cannot be enough for all the passengers.”
When contacted, Director, Public Affairs of Lagos Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mr. Kolawole Ojelabi, confirmed the report, saying “the situation has been brought under control as policemen have restored normalcy.” According to Ojelabi, further actions by the state government would be communicated in due course.
Post a Comment