In 2019, I entered a Danfo bus that took a one-way lane on purpose. Everybody on the bus pointed out the dangers of the driver’s action and told him to return to the regular route, but he ignored everybody.
The lady who sat beside me called the driver a yama yama man. That was when he became triggered.
“Madam you sef na yama yama person.”
They exchanged words for a while.
The driver took a turn and entered a street to escape LASTMA officials. The woman gave out a loud laughter, and we all joined her. “Yama yama man, I think say you get mind sef. Why you dey run?”
Just as the driver wanted to reply to her, some schoolchildren were about to cross the road. The driver stopped the bus and, using his left hand, motioned the schoolchildren to cross while we waited. After the school children crossed, he peeped through his centre mirror.
“Madam, shebi, you see how I helped these children cross the road abi? You fit do am? You just dey here dey insult me. But I like your voice shaa.”
The woman laughed and hailed him. She even thanked him for his kind gesture towards the kids.
“You na good man driver, but you no get sense.”
We laughed.
When the woman reached her junction, the driver told his conductor not to collect any money from her. We were all surprised and thanked the driver for being such a generous fellow. After all the insults, who could have imagined that he would let the woman go without paying her fare?
As we moved, the driver said something that shocked all of us.
“Make una leave that woman, na my girlfriend mama she be. She no know me but I sabi her. I go yan my babe say her mama enter my bus today.”
The things I saw in Lagos danfo buses.
