Lagos is arguably the largest metropolitan city in Nigeria and I can refer to it as the busiest state in the country but then it goes well with the city's slogan "Centre of Excellence". The city of Lagos definitely never sleeps.
One thing that will always amaze me about Lagos is the population size compared to the land mass of the state. The most recent census shows that the population size is 8,048,430, it feels as though the population size is more than that sometimes.
Now to talk about my experiences in Lagos, I've had good and bad one's in Lagos but today I'll be talking about transportation in Lagos from my point of view ofcourse, I don't own a car yet so I often use public transportation.
Depending on where you are, where you're going and your budget, there are different types of public transportation to meet your needs. We have Bikes (mostly called okada), Tricycles (Napep or Maruwa) Taxis, Bus rapid transit (Brt), My least favorite are the yellow buses they're popularly referred to as Danfo. These are the ones I use mostly so I'll be talking about each of them:
- Bikes: The only reason I'll take a bike anywhere is if that's the only way of transport to where I'm going or if I'm trying to beat traffic. Many people see bikes as death traps and this is mostly due to the reckless driving of most of these bikers.
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- Tricyles: Mostly referred to as Napep, I feel they are a safer and are usually a lot cheaper. The thing is they don't have access to all the routes, I can't imagine myself taking a napep from Yaba to Idumota.
- Taxis: Now this is for when you're well loaded or in my case, I'll only take a taxi when I have money to spare. There's Uber, Taxify and other taxi services too. I think they're the safest and chillest means of public transport. The thing about them I really don't fancy is that they're charge per meter and in a place like Lagos where traffic is second nature, the prices are not really predictable.
- Bus Rapid Transit: Popularly called brt, it's an initiative that was created by the Lagos state government. It is cheap, traffic free and if you're sitting it is very comfortable. The one thing about this means of transport is you have to be patient because the queues are crazy. If you have to be somewhere by 8am,, try to get to the bus station by 6:30 or maybe 7 because it is very possible to queue for that long especially during working days. Another thing about these buses is you have options; if you have time to spare you could just be on the "sitting" queue but if you're perhaps in a hurry you could be on the "standing" queue. Standing in a Brt is uncomfortable but then you'll get to where you're going quicker and that's a plus.
- Yellow buses: I call them yellow buses because, well, they're yellow but they're mostly referred to as Danfo. This is my least preffered means of transport in Lagos and everytime I manage to enter one something will most likely go wrong, It's either I have an issue with the "conductor" about my change or someone else is fighting with the conductor ( these guys call passengers and collect the fares). The One time I'll probably not forget is the day a conductor insulted me all because I did not have change ( his choice of words were really colourful), I was speechless and the really painful part was he just dropped me off mid-way all because I did not have change. If you're driving your own car you'll most likely see these buses as nuisances and that's because they're either driving rough or they're causing traffic. They wait at all busstops for minutes and just waste time and I usually find these buses very uncomfortable. One thing that comes to my mind is that without these buses though, Lagos roads will probably look weird and different , so I'll just say they're a big part of the "crazy of Lagos".
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All these things I've been going on about are just a small part of the things that really make up the city of Lagos. I look forward to sharing more of these things with y'all.
Thank you very much for reading✌.
Quite a nice description of the "crazy city" - Lagos. You didn't emphasize that it can really be crazy boarding the yellow bus. It's a city on its own being in it. You'll meet different people representing different wierd groups of the country. It's always crazy, annoying and awkwardly the best ride you could take - for the laughs though.
Nice one ma'am
This is so true, inside the yellow bus is definitely another city entirely. Thank you for reading!!
You're welcomed ma'am
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Its indeed a centre of excellence, and the lifestyle there is mainly based on survival of the fittest, if youre not up and doing in Lasgidi, then you're on your own.
Lol
Nice write up dear.
Resteemed..
I know right.. Only the strong hearted can thrive in lagos. Thank you✌
Transportation in Lagos can be annoying majorly due to traffic jam for no reason. That's why I usually use the BRT, although it comes with its own drawbacks. Long queues, fight to buy tickets, impatient people who don't want to queue but instead look for people to beg in order to leave quickly and many more. Lagos is truly the "Centre of Excellence" but you must be wise to live in Lagos, 'cos you will encounter strange people and strange places. As they say "Eko, Ilu Ogbon".
Brt and long queues, Lagosians and impatience, all a big part of the city.
"Eko oni baje oo".
Lagos State
Indeed a great city
I personally see it as centre of excellence, because it's all about learning everyday
You see things in new dimensions, you must always learn to upgrade yourself, else you will be outrunned
Yes oo, it's all about the survival of the fittest
Yes ooo