My BRT Experience – Funny Stories – Episode 1 Posted on May 20, 2024May 20, 2024 By Tomiwa Akanbi Today, the 20th of May, 2024, I was in a BRT on my way to work when I heard a voice whispering to me to document the BRT adventures I have. BRT means Bus Rapid Transit according to Google, but anyone in Lagos State, Nigeria knows that acronym is used to represent Lagos state BRT buses that carry passengers at subsidized rates. A few dramatic things happened today, and I want to share them with you. I got to the terminal late I got to the terminal a bit late this morning, so there was a long queue I had to join. The bus wasn’t there by the time I got to the terminal, so I had to wait a bit. After about ten minutes, the BRT bus finally arrived and the queue became longer because some people were leaning on the wall away from the queue. Apparently, some were tired of standing in the queue. But I could bet that not all of them came before me. The trick is if you know someone in the queue, you could give them a handshake and stylishly join the queue. But I just minded my business and waited for my turn to enter the bus. Lagos BRT Buses are Cheap I spent just above 200 naira to my destination- whereas normal public transportation would cost around 700 naira to the same place, and an Uber would cost nothing less than three thousand naira. So, it was a very good choice of transportation. Keeping Seats? I got in and was happy when I saw an empty seat beside a mother. I approached it and was about to sit down when she put her bag on it. I frowned and gave a ‘What is the problem look’. She frowned back and told me ‘One alhaja is here. She is coming.’ Knowing that if I argued or asked further, she could be dramatic or try to use the ‘mother’, ‘elderly woman’ card, I held on to one of the poles in the bus, because every other seat was occupied. The people behind me in the queue, seeing what happened, fixed themselves to other poles too. We were going to stand throughout the ride. Alhaja Came Back! So I saw the ‘alhaja’ in question, and it made sense. She was in the queue, but when she flashed her card over the NFC scanner (everybody needed a BRT card that can be recharged with the far, and needs to be scanned for deduction before each ride), it declined. So she had to quickly go out and recharge her card and come back. That was why this mother kept her seat for her. Body Odour on the bus Many Nigerians underestimate the necessity of a good bath or deodorant. The windows close to me were open, but I felt sorry for a woman four seats behind me. She was seated, but a guy was standing beside her, arms raised because he was holding onto a pole. But he had a serious body odor. I looked back and saw the woman lifting her face, trying to make eye contact with him and probably ask him to shift back, but the smell pushed her face down (because she was moving her nose and eventually had to face the windows). Looking back now, I feel for her. If she had asthma, that smell would have triggered it! Bus Stop That was the only spectacular event in today’s ride. Someone alighted before me and he was holding on to the poles too. That smell made me dizzy for two seconds but I immediately regained composure. I got down at my bus stop, thanking God for a fast ride today. Have you ever entered a BRT bus before? Share your experience in the comments! Discover more from Christian Creator | Kabiyesi of Digital Marketing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe Life
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