LASU SHUTTLE FARE HIKE SPARKS STUDENT FRUSTRATION OVER ₦50 CHANGE

The Lagos State University (LASU) shuttle system has always been easy, comfortable, and affordable for students, as it provides mobility around campus without worrying too much about transport costs. It has over the years proven to be a reliable means of movement, especially for students whose Faculties are distant from the school gate.

However, the recent increase in fuel prices is gradually changing the relief students once enjoyed, leading to a rise in shuttle fares within the campus from the sum of ₦100 to ₦150. While this increase is understandable due to the economic situation, it has created a new challenge for students—one that goes beyond just the fare itself.

Although the ₦150 fare was agreed upon, many students are now faced with no choice, other than to pay the sum of ₦200 due to the constant excuse of “no ₦50 change” from the shuttle operators.

This report takes a closer look at the situation and the growing concerns among students.

HOW IT ALL STARTED: THE LONG QUEUE FOR SHUTTLES

The resumption of the second semester for full-time undergraduate students of Lagos State University came with several surprises and challenges; however, one concerning issue was the lack of shuttles to convey students. This was in fact, particularly disturbing, as students who had urgent classes had to wait in a long queue, with no guarantee that there would be buses, and in some cases, others resorted to trekking in order not to get late to classes. This issue began to cause unrest among several LASUites, leading to serious tussle in the morning, with some students drifting to the shuttle stop opposite the Faculty of Management Sciences (FMS), in order to avoid the long queue around the Buba Marwa Auditorium shuttle stop.

Following several complaints, an official bulletin was released on the LASUSU Info channel by the Public Relations Officer of the Students’ Union, Comr. Akano Abdumalik Akolade, popularly known as 5star, on Thursday, March 26, at exactly 9:55pm, titled: “Important Notice On Review In Campus Shuttle Fare.”

According to the bulletin, the Students’ Union engaged in “thorough deliberations with the shuttle operators,” eventually reducing the initially proposed increase by the shuttle operators from ₦200 to ₦150.

STUDENTS STILL PAY ₦200 DESPITE AGREEMENT

The resolve of the Lagos State University Students Union (LASUSU) to tackle the shuttle issue and reduce the fee to a compassionate one, while putting students welfare in mind is a commendable and proactive move.

However, the reality is that the agreed price of ₦150  is not being followed. A check by LASU Conscience can confirm that several students have been paying the sum of ₦200, 16 days since the Students’ Union announcement. The common reason behind this is that shuttle drivers often claim they do not have ₦50 change, much to the dismay of several students.

This not-so-pleasant experience brings back the memory of a past LASUSU administration, which weighed in on the calls for the increase in fares by the shuttle operators from ₦50, and eventually agreed to increase it to ₦70; however, that agreement never favoured LASUites, as the same issue of drivers complaining about a lack of ₦30 change after receiving the sum of ₦100 made the shuttle fare to unofficially become ₦100.

With the same event playing out again in this present administration, many students are concerned.

Reacting to the price increment, Foyin , a 200 level student from the Faculty of law lamented:

“I feel something should be done about it. The drivers are doing it on purpose. This week, I wanted to enter a shuttle and the driver told us not to enter if we didn’t have ₦50 change. It’s annoying, and most drivers do not accept transfers.”

Omolade, another 300 level student from the Faculty of law added, “This is not convenient for us because we rarely have ₦50 change. They should not have agreed to ₦150 if they knew they would collect more than that.”

Ayomide, a 300-level student from the Faculty of Science, described the situation as unfair, bemoaning the intentional act of exploitation by the shuttle operators.

“I’ll say that’s certainly unfair—not just to me but to the mass. The stipulated price is ₦150, so there should be provision for change from the drivers. I’ve been in a situation where I didn’t have ₦50 and I was in a hurry, but the driver told us to leave if we didn’t have change,” he said.

He also stressed that, “I believe some drivers could even start claiming there’s no change just to collect ₦200 from students.”

LACK OF ENFORCEMENT OF COMPLIANCE TO DIRECTIVES 

Amid the recent concerns made, one noticeable attribute of several LASUSU administration is a lack of enforcement of compliance with directives made. A resolution cannot be made without an intuition of checking if it is being followed and adhered to.

This is the same issue playing out in the 36th LASUSU administration ‘Igbega LASUSU.’ Why is there no proper system to ensure that this directive of shuttle fare increment is followed properly? Why do students have to keep complaining before actions are taken?

This is not the first time such a situation has occurred. There have been instances where decisions are made and announced, but little to no follow-up is done to ensure compliance. In many cases, it is only after students begin to voice out their frustrations again, that attention is brought back to the issue.

This pattern suggests a gap not in decision-making, but in enforcement and accountability.

WHAT IS THE WAY FORWARD?

Although this issue may seem minor, it affects students in their daily movement and finances.

There are two clear and practical solutions to this problem: 

(1).  Shuttle drivers should ensure they have sufficient ₦50 change before picking up students.

(2). We are in a digital world. Shuttle drivers should adopt the use of Fintech services like Opay and Palmpay, since it is rampant among the campus community. To avoid any form of incompliance by the students, the shuttle operators can also make sure to confirm the receipt of ₦150 from the passengers before the shuttle begins to move.

With emphasis on the second suggestion, some shuttle operators have already imbibed the habit, although, just a few out of many; if a few can imbibe it, others should be able to adopt the act. It would in fact be a win-win for everyone.

We call on the LASUSU executives to take urgent and decisive action to address this issue, enforce the agreed ₦150 fare, and protect students from unfair charges. On the broader picture, every Students’ representative body should not just make directives without a plan to “check and balance.” We don’t want half welfare, but full priority on students living.