How Agberos impose hidden costs to cause high bus fares in Ajah

By Adekola Zinatullah.

Agberos have devolved means of imposing hidden costs on drivers, spilling over commuters paying high bus fares in the Ajah axis of Lagos State.

For many residents in the Ajah axis, they face a daily burden of  transportation fare increases on their way to respective locations of work and businesses. Quite often the costs of transportation rise, thus, making it more difficult for families to manage their finances and daily expenditures, causing hardship and anger in the people.

 But what if the bus drivers, who often seem to be the ones benefiting from these higher prices, are actually struggling every day against the hidden and unfair payment systems imposed on commuters?

An interaction with a bus driver at the ever busy Ajah route exposed the core truth about the city’s bus system.

The driver, who pleaded for anonymity because he fears for his safety, disclosed that higher bus fares are not just for the cost of fuel or fixing the bus. He said that they are heavily influenced by illegal fees demanded by street urchins, often called touts or area boys.

According to him, on a Driver’s daily levy, the agberos collect N18,000 per trip at Ilaje bus stop; then N1,800 at Oshodi, on the same trip.

The driver, expressing in his voice a mixture of anger and frustration, decried that the huge amounts of money are forced payments demanded by these unofficial groups at different spots along the route or at the bus itself.

He complained bitterly that the levy is an unofficial tax that has no legal standing but is being enforced with roughness, threats, and even beatings; or as he put it, “spiritual punishments”.

He painted a clear picture of how much money they lose.  “At the end of the day, my daily return is not more than N10,000 because I still buy petrol and have to maintain the bus.

“Think about this: if a driver, after dealing with Ajah’s terrible traffic and filling his bus with people, has to give up N18,000 for every single trip, his actual earnings are cut drastically.

“Fuel costs alone are high and keeping a bus running in Lagos is a constant, expensive fight against wear and tear.

“Making only N10,000 returns a day for such a hard and risky job clearly shows how much of the passengers’ money is being taken illegally.”

Bus operators on that corridor, beside others, face the danger of saying no or resistance; they receive beating in return; and fear what happens if a driver tries to refuse or argue against these demands.

This driver stated that the consequence of not paying those dues include being stripped and flogged then sent away from the park.

According to him, “this isn’t just a threat; it’s a harsh reality that many drivers have reportedly faced.

“The fear of physical violence, public shame, unnecessary delay, and losing their job make them obey, thus, trapping drivers in this never-ending cycle of forced payments.

This rule of fear highlights a serious breakdown of law and order in public spaces, especially at big bus stops. The way these touts operate without consequences raises big questions about how well government bodies and police are protecting regular people – both drivers and passengers – from criminal groups.

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Effects Passengers

The direct result of this deep-rooted system of illegal payments is felt most by everyday commuters. When drivers are forced to pay such huge fees, they have no choice but to pass these costs on to their passengers.

The higher fares, which passengers rightly complain about, are not necessarily extra money for the drivers. Instead, they are a reflection of the hidden, illegal levies imposed on them.

This creates a strange situation where passengers are angry with drivers for high fares, while drivers are frustrated by a system that takes their earnings and puts them at risk. Both are victims of an unfair, unofficial economy that thrives on threats and violence.

Beyond the Bus Stop: Time for Action

The difficult situation of Ajah bus drivers is a small example of a bigger, widespread problem affecting public transportation in many parts of Nigeria. It is a complicated issue caused by unemployment, a lack of proper rules, and the failure to break up powerful, illegal groups.

Solving this problem needs many different actions: strong law enforcement to catch and punish these demands, more openness and responsibility in how bus parks are managed, and a renewed political will to protect the rights and safety of commercial drivers.

Until the control of these silent extortionists is broken, the dream of affordable, safe, and efficient public transportation in Ajah and beyond will remain just that – a distant dream, paid for by the fear of those who drive and the money of those who ride.