Peter Nworie
There seems to be unending disagreement between students of Moshood Abiola polytechnic (Mapoly) and shuttle/cab drivers.
This is evident as recently some students have expressed grievances towards the shuttle drivers in the institution.
Press club MAPOLY (PCM) gathered that this concurrent disagreement lingers because drivers find it difficult to give students their balance after paying for transport fare.
The fare which was initially N30 skyrocketed to N50 due to fuel scarcity. It was brought down to N40 recently and shuttle drivers had been reluctant to comply with the new price.
The reduction of shuttle fee from N50 to N40, has birthed lots of misunderstanding between the students and shuttle drivers.
One of the students who spoke to PCM on condition of anonymity said, "N10 has been the major problem to find and it is very difficult to get ‘change’; the students should not take it as if the drivers are wicked.
"The drivers don’t want to give us our 10naira change and its has led to different dispute between the students and the drivers,and we urge the management of the great citadel of learning should look for immediate solution to this."
Another student while narrating how a shuttle driver went to the extreme said, "This driver failed to tell me he has no change before I entered his bus; I got to school and demanded for my #10 change he failed to give me, he started abusing my parents, hurling insults at me.
"Ever since they’ve reduced this fee, drivers had been owing us too many N10 change. I’m sure they intentional decide not to give us our balances, it is their way of not abiding by the N40 fare they’ve declared."
Meanwhile, one of the shuttle drivers, Oluwaseun Folorunsho, who spoke with our reporter, said the country’s economic status had been responsible for the unavailability of currency notes of small value, urging students to be patients with drivers.
"Fuel scarcity had caused shift in transport fees N10, N20, N50, and N100 are not easy to get in Nigeria; most commercial Bank’s don’t have change to give ,change had affected many things in our country today.
"As students complain about N10, drivers also complain about change. The students don’t have patience enough and it causes conflict between the drivers and the students.
Folorunsho who said the transportation fare can never be taken back to the initial price, urged students to drop arguments and focus on their studies.
"Taking it back to the normal price #30 is not possible due to the cost of maintaining the vehicle; the profit we get from our vehicles is within the range of N500 upward, and N30 is not enough for maintenance.
"Nigeria does not have N10 in domination again and we urge students to keep focused on their study."
