A 300 level student of the University of Lagos, Miss Peju Pedro, has said with the tragic end of a 22-year-old fashion designer, Bamise Ayanwole, in a Bus Rapid Transit vehicle recently, she would constantly be afraid of rape and death using the transport company’s vehicles.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that Bamise was on her way to visit her brother after the close of work on February 26, when she boarded the BRT vehicle at Chevron Bus Stop that led to her tragic end.
“It is scarier taking BRT at night now because I will be afraid of rape or death. Government should make it safer,” Pedro told News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday.
Pedro who spoke at the BRT Terminal opposite ShopRite Superstores in Alausa appealed to the Lagos State Government to seek private-sector help in regulating BRT operations effectively.
Aside from Pedro, some BRT passengers along the Ikeja/Oshodi corridor in Lagos also appealed to the government to boost security on the buses for improved safety of commuters.
Some of the passengers, who spoke with NAN appealed to the state government to deploy technology to make the operations better and safer for passengers, to avert a repeat of the Bamise saga.
A trader at Computer Village, who simply identified himself as Okwudili, said the BRT was the hope of business people, who had to catch up early with business appointments.
Okwudili who spoke to NAN at the Mangoro bus corridor said it was impressive that the BRT fleet was increasing, adding that government should improve and digitalise operations for efficiency and safety.
“Government has banned commercial motorcycles (Okada) on highways, BRT is the fastest means we have, especially business people.
“If you go to some countries abroad, they don’t have traffic jams because the government introduced these big high capacity buses everywhere.
“The death of Bamise should make all transportation stakeholders have a discussion on how to make BRT safer. Transportation is big business internationally, I believe that Gov. Sanwo-Olu can do it,” he said.
Another student of Agidingbi Junior High School, Master Joseph Kushima, told NAN that the bus was assisting to carry students to school for free.
“We like BRT, they should not stop it, if there is security, no driver can kill anybody,” he said.
NAN
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