THANK YOU DANFO BOYS,THANK YOU!

                                

In 2003 Mad Melon and Mountain Black released their much anticipated hit song Danfo Driver.A song that shows the frustrations,pains and the dashed hopes of the danfo driver and his conductor. Danfo Driver clearly conveys the emotional state of the two biggest personalities of the Lagos yellow buses;the driver and conductor.As i listened to the song all i feel is a deep sense of compassion for these two,all i want to do is reach out to them, understand them and  do my best to make the job easier for them,why you might ask? When you listen or read the wordings of the song you might understand why,here are some of the wordings below;

Lord i am crying out to my soul,

I am a danfo driver,

I was born in the ghetto,

I schooled in the ghetto,

We grew up in the ghetto,

I don't want to be a Don or to be a Danfo driver,

I want to go to Uniben for enough education 

I want to go to Uniport for more education

I want to go to Unilag for enough education,

Oh no no no mama NO!,but now i am a danfo driver! 

I am a Danfo Driver!

I believe that the Danfo driver and his conductor need help,i believe they are victims of a system that has dashed their hopes and aspirations of life,and in spite of that they work pretty hard to make a living for themselves in some of the harshest working conditions a person can find himself.I think the first step in reaching out and helping the Danfo Driver and his conductor is to show some respect and be as courteous as possible to them when we board their buses.Someone may ask,but they are providing me with service,they should treat me right and respect me?Yes that is true,but frankly speaking the Danfo Driver and his conductor already clearly have greater issues to deal with than trying to provide good service to passengers,check out some of the issues they have to deal with on a daily basis;

• The street urchin or area boy, who is Bent on plucking out a conductors eye  if he fails to receive the N50 that he hasn’t worked for,
• The corrupt police officer who is willing to impound the bus if he does not receive the N20 or N50 that he hasn't worked for; 
•  The No mercy VIO, Lastma officials who are bent on impounding the bus and ensuring you pay the highest fines at the slightest pardonable traffic offence,
• And of course the stress of  having to deal with passengers who don’t want to pay bus fares or who pay incorrect bus fare, or who demand they are picked up or dropped off at non –bus stops, or who rain causes and abuses at the driver or conductor at the slightest provocation.   
• And finally the stress of driving on the already pressured lagos roads all day from morning till midnight at times.

How can a person stay sane and provide good service under these conditions? And yet the conductor and driver ensure they help passengers load their goods into the buses and help off load, they try to return passenger change, they keep the buses lively at times with gist ,they sometimes are understandable when a passenger does not have the correct transport fare, they advice passengers to take it easy and watch okada when alighting from the buses, they even go out of their way to break traffic rules while dropping off or picking up passengers.

These little things that they do make me respect these men and is the basis why i encourage passengers to treat the driver and conductor with respect, love and compassion ,encourage them,give them a tip,smile at them,forgive them and thank them ,its the least we can do if we want to stop the hate on our buses and help make those bus rides enjoyable and safe for all Nigerians.Appreciate the Danfo boys today!   

COURTESY COUNTS ON THE YELLOW BUSES

Here are a list of tips I try to cultivate on the yellow bus,and believe me they have been helpful.In the next couple of months ,we will distribute these tips in flyer forms and circulate to many boarding the yellow buses.Our hope is that it will help change a whole lot of things on our yellow buses.

Courtesy means a lot of things:Consideration for others, politeness,good manners and many others.On the yellow buses,the following courteous manners just might help you enjoy your ride better.If we adopt these attitudes,we would be stamping out HATE,ANGER AND VIOLENCE on our buses.Lets take a look at them.    

They say respect is reciprocal.When you get on the yellow bus,choose to respect the driver or conductor,many times I try greet the conductor by saying hello,most times i get a greeting back,sometimes I forgo a small change, I also try to say a thank you when alighting a danfo.It doesn't mean I want to get a response to my greetings,it only shows that I respect myself,and by extension extend that respect to the driver and conductor, after-all they are human.

Try to be patient with the driver, conductor or fellow passengers.Particularly when it has to do with change collection.This is usually very hard to do because most times the conductor has forgotten,or is really out to short change you.A little patience and a low tone but firm voice will do the magic.   

Please do not fight.Fighting demeans a person,the end results are usually not predictable.A well cultured and well mannered person must not fight.Whatever happens take a deep breath,count to 10 and don't throw a fist.   

Don't intrude on the space of others.Create space for other passengers,this usually causes tempers to rise.Treat others as you would want to be treated.Don't shout while receiving a call,don't spit in the bus,don't stick chewing gums on the seats,cover mouth when coughing.Actions like this show that you are well cultured.

Swear words on the yellow buses have become common place,when angry the nastiest words come out of the mouth of  people,why should you trade words with a danfo driver or conductor to the point where they rain insults on your mother,father and your entire generation?Obviously you can't win in such trade of words,courtesy will demand that you don't bring yourself that low.   

I TOO POSSESS THE POTENTIAL FOR HATE,ANGER

AND VIOLENCE,BUT.....

Every man possesses the potential for hatred,anger and violence.When pushed to the wall,very few people possess what it takes to turn the other cheek.Indeed for most people expressing anger and hatred seem like the only logical thing to do.However many eventually find out that the repercussion of these negative emotions is eventually a price too high to pay for whatever the initial causative issues are.Our STOP THE HATE ON OUR YELLOW BUSES CAMPAIGN Video below is proof to the fact that negative emotions are an ill blowing wind that does nobody any good.The video x-rays how bad things have become on our yellow buses.We must warn though that the videos requires the viewers discretion.

But frankly speaking,how can one remain cool,calm,collected and unperturbed on these danfo buses?Especially when the driver,conductor and fellow passengers seem not to be bothered about how one feels?Is it possible to turn the other cheek when it is clear that someone or something on that Danfo ride is trying to ridicule me?What sort of mindset must I possess the minute I board one of these Danfos?How can I be different on those bus rides and yet enjoy my ride? 

The Dalai Lama is head of the Tibetan tribe and is a recipient of the prestigious Nobel peace Prize.He is an advocate of non -violence,even though himself and his people constantly remain victims of hatred and violence.He offers some insights into how to deal with the human potential for anger and violence,here is what he says:       

- Like anyone else, I too have the potential for violence; I too have anger in me. However, I try to recall that anger is a destructive emotion. I remind myself that scientists now say that anger is bad for our health; it eats into our immune system. So, anger destroys our peace of mind and our physical health. We shouldn’t welcome it or think of it as natural or as a friend.

So,the next time you get on your next Danfo ride and you feel like giving that driver,that conductor or that fellow passenger a piece of your mind or a piece of your fist,kindly remember that anger is bad for your health,it has the potential to eat up your immune system and it can destroy your peace of mind and your physical health.In my opinion,this sort of potential negative emotion is too much a price to pay on a Danfo ride,what do you think?Simply put,put your emotions in check on the Danfo and help STOP THE HATE,THE ANGER AND THE VIOLENCE ON OUR YELLOW BUSES.  

STOP THE HATE ON OUR YELLOW BUSES

(A COURTESY CAMPAIGN).

The Lagos yellow commercial buses popularly called Danfo are a major component of the Lagos public transport industry. Figures state that there are close to 1000 of these buses on the streets of Lagos. They serve as the easiest, cheapest and fastest way to move about in the city of Lagos; indeed Lagos is not complete without the blasting horns and the screeching sounds of the Danfo.

The Danfos represent a sweet –bitter part of the life of the Lagosian. On one hand, these buses provide a source of entertainment for the Lagosian, on those bus rides you could catch up with the latest gist, gossips and happenings in the city of Lagos. Clearly the Lagos yellow buses have become part and parcel of Lagos life and indeed a strong component of Lagos tourism.

However sadly due to neglect and a breakdown of moral value in our society, our beloved yellow buses have become the grounds for some of the most lawless expressions of the outright disregard for courtesy, respect and human empathy. It is rare to get on these buses and not have a first hand experience of cursing, swearing, verbal abuses and in most cases physical fighting between passengers, driver and conductor over the most flimsy of issues. On those bus rides the slightest issues of change collection, shifting for other passengers etc can escalate into a declaration of war.

 Many have lost their lives, become badly injured OR emotionally hurt. It makes me wonder why Nigerians choose to treat themselves with absolute disregard for the feelings of his/her fellow man. We have to change these trends and help restore courtesy and the respect for human dignity once again on these buses, let’s show the world and ourselves that we are truly a peace loving, respectful and considerate people. If you use the yellow bus, I urge you today to join in STOPPING THE HATE ON OUR YELLOW BUSES; it starts with choosing to conduct yourself in the most civil manner. If you change and I change, then our bus rides will be safe, friendly and a worthwhile experience.