New System, New Realities: OAU Shuttle Bus Undermines Students’ Realities

         John Alabi & God's Gift Akowe

In the recent times, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) have constantly grappled with transportation crises, with numerous disputes and disagreement between the GreatIfe Students Union Transportation Management Committee (GreatIfe TMC), and by extension the university management and Town-Gboro bus drivers, which sometimes result to fare hikes, service interruptions, and, at times, indefinite strikes. Whenever these conflicts arise, students are often at the receiving end, bearing the consequences.

Due to these long-standing issues, transportation on campus has always depended on a fragile balance, a balance built on compromise rather than a sustainable system that truly prioritizes students’ welfare and safe mobility.

That balance shifted again on January 29, when Nigeria's First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, commissioned 50 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses and 30 tricycles for the university. The initiative was introduced as a solution to persistent transportation challenges on campus, and as part of a broader environmentally friendly mobility policy.

The new buses and tricycles were expected to reduce transport stress, curb arbitrary fare increases, improve movement across campus, and give the university greater control over student mobility.

However, the new transport arrangement has posed a fresh hardship and many worries for students, issues like higher transport costs (for off-campus based students), longer queues, limited vehicle availability among others .

Change is necessary in any institution, especially one as large as OAU. However, any change that directly affects students’ everyday survival must be practical, inclusive, and student-sensitive. 

The situation took a drastic turn when Town-Gboro operators and motorcyclists swiftly exited the campus environment on March 30, earlier than the previously agreed March 31 deadline. Their abrupt withdrawal disrupted movement and exposed how fragile the university’s replacement system is.

             OAU students on queue at the Bus-stop 

Earlier this week, the TMC Committee announced a 2-day free ride initiative, mainly to test-run the new transport system and observe its functionality in reality.

 The CNG buses operate with ticket policy, allowing students to purchase riding tickets at strategic locations on campus, yet, not without walking long distances.

In response to the new system, Town-Gboro operators who now function independently off-campus, released a new fare structure. With this new system, students living around Mayfair/AP axis now spend about ₦800 daily on transportation, compared to the previous ₦500 daily. Summing up to ₦4,000 weekly and approximately ₦16,000 monthly, compared to the former monthly average of ₦10,000. 

For an average student struggling with tuition, feeding, accommodation, reading materials, and other survival expenses, the increment becomes unsustainable.

Students' Challenges

 The new transport system has undoubtedly made student mobility more expensive, particularly for off-campus students who relied heavily on direct buses from areas such as Mayfair/AP, Lagere, Sabo, Ondo road, amongst others, to OAU campus. The management's decision on the new transport system can be assumed to be a total negligence of the economic realities of off-campus students.

With over 30,000 students and about 12,000 newly matriculated students, the pressure on the transport system is significant. This strain is already visible at bus stops, where students queue for long periods. 

The ticketing process added another layer of inconvenience. In a university that prides itself on excellence and innovation, students are still expected to walk around in search of paper tickets, when digital alternatives could have easily reduced stress and improved efficiency. All these affect academic productivity of students as concentration and learning is hugely affected.

Old vs New Transport System

Comparing the old and new transport system, it could be said that the Town-Gboro system provided direct and flexible movement for students from major off-campus areas such as Mayfair/AP, Lagere, and Sabo to campus, bringing students closer to their residences at lower cost.

          Graphical representation of the capacity of both systems 

The new transport system, on the other hand, appears to be more regulated, where direct movement has been totally removed, with vehicle capacity appearing significantly insufficient, students now face multiple boarding points, queues and additional transport costs. 

Students ‘ Voices

Deborah, a student in the Department of Foreign Languages, described the new transport system as a commendable initiative, however, she explained that its convenience remains questionable in practice. Recounting her experience, she said; “although I found the tricycle ride from Alumni Hall to the new market comfortable, however, the process was still stressful, because I had to walk from ICT to SUB, just to get the ticket. This is punishment!” 

Another student, who preferred anonymity, frowned at the transition process, arguing that the available vehicles are insufficient to meet students’ daily transport needs.

“To be honest, the transport system right now is a mess. The buses provided are not enough, and removing the previous transport operators without a solid alternative has left students struggling. Now we’re dealing with long queues and rising transport costs. It’s clear the transition wasn’t properly planned, and we the students are suffering for it.” 

Overall, the new transport system is pretty commendable, it reflects a conscious effort to introduce innovation, improve structure, and establish a more organized transportation system within the university. Nevertheless, the dark side of the initiative is absolutely as a result of insufficient buses. Given the clear gap in the capacity of both old and new transport systems, it is evident that the number of newly introduced buses and tricycles is quite limited to independently meet students’ daily mobility needs.

Rather than completely displacing the already existing Town-Gboro buses and motorcycles, a more practical and student-friendly approach would have been integration. Such that, the new transport system (CNG Buses and Tricycles) should probably operate only in the evening, while the existing Town-Gboro buses and motorcycles operate uninterruptedly during the day, to provide flexible, and direct accessibility that off-campus students have over the years depend on.