Danfo

Made a last minute decision to include LMTS (Lagos Municipal Transport Service), but I can't find my "Nigeria 1970 Handbook". I'll skip it for now.

LSTC (Lagos State Transport Corporation)
www.nairaland.com/attachments/753107_LSTC_jpg42f418875d9b0b17b2ad00ef38f47271

They also had "Scholars Bus", which was a free service for nursery, primary and secondary school kids.

They had depots and terminus @ Keffi Street, Simpson Street, Race Course/Tafawa Balewa Square, etc.

Governor Rasaki abandoned his official car and used coaster buses instead, because he felt that his motorcade would be too long if he and his commissioners used their official cars. He donated the coaster buses to the LSTC when he was leaving office in 1991.

The LSTC system had practically collapsed when Governor Tinubu assumed office in 1999. He ordered an audit of the corporation and inspected their depots. He discovered that top management staff had been illegally selling the corporation's buses. Rasaki's coaster buses where listed as being beyond repair on the corporation's books, whereas, in reality, they were in good working order.

The City Bus experiment.

In 2001 the Lagos State Government decided to ban Molue and Danfo buses from operating in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki. The government licensed City Bus (a company that was set up by Cross Country Limited) to carry out transport business in Ikoyi, Lekki and V.I. Chaos ensued and the government was forced to back down. Below are accounts of the chaos.

“It was the second day of the Lagos State Ministry of Transport' launch of a new public transportation scheme.

That scheme, by which private commercial bus operators were banned from plying the V.I and Ikoyi routes, is intended to sanitise traffic in these highbrow areas of Eti-Osa Local Government. But the new scheme offers no succour for commuters, particularly school children

The yellow and black private buses popularly refer to as Danfo , had from the previous day been barred from plying the roads of Ikoyi and Victoria Island by the state government. Scores of mobile policemen and officials of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), were on hand at all entry points to the two neighbourhoods to prevent defiant drivers. Children and women went through untold hardship as they struggled for limited buses that were allowed by the new scheme to operate on those routes. The scenario could best be described as the biblical camel passing through the eye of a needle: a situation where close to five thousand commuters struggle to get seats in a bus that has provision for just 18”. “CMS Taxi and Motors Nigeria Limited (T&M), is the second carrier on those routes". The City Bus which has it's terminals at TBS, CMS/Outer Marina, Obalende and Femi Okunnu Housing Estate (Round About), also has major bus stops in Ikoyi and Victoria Island with different routes and their routes numbers.



"Conflicting claims have continued to trail the decision of the Lagos State government to replace the yellow commuter buses popularly called "danfo" by City Buses in Ikoyi and Victoria Island routes, even as the government has approved special commercial buses for Ajah residents.



The new buses are however, painted green and white as against the popular yellow and black. Feelers within the Ajah community showed that residents are yet to enjoy the benefits of this new transport system as investigation showed that most commuters are still often stranded at the various bus stops within the area.


It would be recalled that shortly after the announcement of the new policy by the Lagos government, a sizeable number of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) members went on rampage to registered their anger. “Efforts by to reach the spokesperson for Cross Country Ltd, owners of city buses to find out their future plans, and other measures put in place to ensure compliance from their drivers failed. He was said to be indisposed”.

Classic Lagos taxi

New Lagos taxis


Red Cab

naptu2: Wole Soyinka wanted by police (Daily Times, Oct 18, 1965).




“They arrived as promised, armed with copies of the WANTED notice that was now home to my photograph. A charade ensued. Sam accompanied them as they looked through the rooms, one after the other, passed through the living room where I was seated, looked right through me as through a windowpane. Content with the futility of their mission, they sat down with the Aluko family in the same living room. With a straight face, they enquired of Sam Aluko if he had any news of me. Sam shook his head in the negative. Well, be sure to keep us informed if he makes contact – we’ll leave this WANTED notice with you in case you lay eyes on anyone resembling him – again looking straight through me as I sat sipping my coffee”.

LMAO. Yibooooooo..........nice.

naptu2: Bolekaja
www.nairaland.com/attachments/753104_bolekaja_jpgcf899b990909f9e3bf37c588bc814525

“There was no significant change until the 1960s when many operators went into the transport business. This resulted in the emergence of the Bolekaja, which literally means “come down and let’s fight” in Yoruba. As there was never enough room in the packed vehicle for a decent sitting arrangement resulting often in fisticuffs; they would tell each other to “come down and let’s fight.” Bolekaja has since been phased out, and they are now used to carry foodstuff in rural communities”.

“Molues, it was learnt, took over when government banned the use of Bolekaja, an average sized wood axial bus, which got its name from the manner passengers usually disembark. With only one wooden door at the back, passengers often had a hell of time entering and disembarking from the single exit point and conducting the bus from that position usually had its own problems, which often times led to free for all, making passengers to give the name bolekaja which means (disembark and let’s fight)”.

Lol. It is good to be young indeed.

'Bolekaja' featured in many stories written around this time. If you read books like 'Chike and the River', 'A man of the People' and so many novels in that class, the lorries described therein are bolekaja . Even in the old Macmillan pry 3 English textbook (or is it pry 4?) You will find several illustrations of 'Bolekaja' .

"Lorry driver, Lorry driver
Will you take me for a ride?
Yes I will take you little man.
Hop on the bus and jump inside!"

Nigeria my Nigeria

@naptu2

I clap for you again

esere826: @naptu2

I clap for you again

Thanks.

naptu2: Molue


“Until the last one decade, they were the kings of Lagos roads. Those who have lived in the sprawling megacity for upwards of two decades hardly knew any other cheaper means of transportation. They are the moving yellow contraption known in the local parlance as Molue, the effervescent machine that hauls commuters from one part of the city to the other”.



So popular were these buses, that they at a time were printed on postcards and favoured as the face of a developing city state of Lagos.

For real?? Wow

naptu2:
From wherever you boarded them, a ride in a Molue was an admixture of fun and tears.

Tell me about it! I remember one time many years ago when I still in secondary school. I was very late for school and there was fuel scarcity so there were no vehicles. When a molue heading for Cele express drew up in front of the teeming crowd of anxious commuters, there was a stampede to board the rickety contraption. Against my better judgement, I joined in the melee.

The next thing I felt was a very muscular elbow connecting solidly with my breasst; the left one. Right in the middle of the breasst.

I howled like one being tortured. The pain I felt is better experienced than described. The owner of the elbow was a sweaty, rough looking character who was using his elbow to jab, push and pummel people out of his way. My hapless left breasst was unfortunate to have been in the way of this elbow of mass destruction. Weeping, I tenderly cradled my sore and throbbing breasst in my hands and blindly stumbled away from the maddening crowd.

Since that day, whenever people are 'rushing' a bus, I stay as far away as possible, hanging around at the periphery of jostling bodies and waiting for any small opening to squeeze myself through. Don't want to be elbowed in the bosoms or anywhere tender for that matter

naptu2:

There was no decency inside the Molue. After filling all the seats, the spill over passengers were made to hang on a rail in what was usually called ‘standing’ in the buses. Passengers were so tightly packed that they made nonsense of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s mimickery of their plight in the song, Suffering and Smiling.

I have been groped severally as a result of this

naptu2:
Apart from the steering wheel, the dash boards of most Molues are often barren of any functioning gadgets, the drivers who are often boxed in with a wired mesh, could be found dripping with sweat as they battle with the steering wheel. With no view finder and side mirrors, the typical Molue driver relies on his mates, better known locally as bus conductors to marshal the roads, and these barks instructions to him intermittently.

"O wa legbe e o, (there is a vehicle by your side), Wole wa, (enter this side of the road), O nbo le (a passenger is dropping) or more lewd ones like; O loyun o ponmo o (this passenger, obviously a woman is pregnant and carrying a baby), are few of the jargons of the Molue conductor.

Lol. "O loyun o ponmo o fa baagi". (She is pregnant, carrying a baby and dragging a bag)

naptu2:
The driver is ever in a hurry. Apart from when it takes off from its major park, Molue never stops. Whether you are dropping off the vehicle or boarding, you have to develop a running feet, as you practically jump off, or rush in, on motion. This act which has become the archilles heels of many hapless commuters have somewhat become the defining mode of recognising who just migrated to Lagos and who is a resident.

You wanna try? I was an expert at disembarking from a molue in motion. Just jump down and run a few feet backwards, then gradually slow down


Levels don change now. Cab tinz

BRT



The Lagos Bus Rapid Transit System, also known as Lagos BRT, is a bus rapid transit system in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is owned by LAMATA.

The first phase of the Lagos BRT was opened on March 24, 2008 with 100 buses, although it was initially slated for opening in November 2007 (the initiative to build the system was initiated by the government of the previous governor, Bola Tinubu). It goes from Mile 12 through Ikorodu Road and Funsho Williams Avenue up to CMS. At current, the Lagos BRT Corridor is 22 km in length.

Two operators are offering their services to the first phase of Lagos BRT: NURTW Cooperative and LAGBUS⁠. LAGBUS is an Asset Management Company owned by the Lagos State government.

26 bus shelters are offered along the Mile 12-CMS road; three bus terminals are also placed along the corridor (at Mile 12, Moshalashi and CMS), with the bus terminal at CMS designed to integrate with transport modes of rail and ferry that are planned for future construction by LAMATA.

BRT operates as a transport system, which relies on the use of ‘dedicated lanes’ special traffic lanes to guarantee fast and reliable travel time for commuters. These lanes are usually segregated, thus enabling the buses to have the right of way in situations of traffic congestion.

Other routes have also been opened, including Yaba to CMS, Obalende to Ikorodu, Obalende to Ajah, Oshodi to CMS, Oshodi to Obalende, etc.

Some of the routes have segregated lanes (eg Yaba to CMS), while some use priority lanes (eg Obalende to Oshodi).

Other operators, eg the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have also joined the scheme.



Segregated BRT lane on Ikorodu Road.




BRT (priority) lane on 3rd Mainland Bridge


Obanikoro Bus Stop.

naptu2: Danfo

These aren't danfo buses. I don't see any danfo buses in any of these photos.

Ishilove:
These aren't danfo buses. I don't see any danfo buses in any of these photos.

Danfo are minibus taxis which appeared in Lagos (along with the larger molues) in the 1970s after the bolekaja trucks were banned. The first danfo buses were Volkswagen Kombi buses. We also have the Volkswagen Transporter buses nicknamed FEDECO (after the Federal Electoral Commission of 1979-1983). The Transporter bus is shown in the first picture. Other models of danfo buses include the Nissan Urvan, Toyota Hiace and the Peugeot J5.

The first models of molue buses were the Mercedes Benz 911 buses. Other models include the Bedford bus.

LRT


Lagos-Badagry Expressway before the rail project.
www.nairaland.com/attachments/667079_lagos20rail7ELasu20gate20before_jpg8fef98d5414068180036d58819fa6ce2

Artist impression of Lagos-Badagry Expressway after the rail project is completed.
www.nairaland.com/attachments/667080_lagos20rail7Elasu20gate20after_jpg4b070b422b50d9c3d5d7adb098d4055f
10 lanes + BRT and LRT.

Marina before the rail project
www.nairaland.com/attachments/667082_lagos20rail7Emarina20before_jpgec6936e753e81b7c125b830b6694ed2d

Artist impression of Marina after the rail project is completed.
www.nairaland.com/attachments/667083_lagos20rail7Emarina20after_jpg59abd927a64f42c1aa88e33b84e51608
Rail, BRT, regular bus and ferry services.

The Lagos Rail Transit (LRT) system will be similar to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in the sense that the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) will build and maintain the tracks, while the concessionaire will procure and maintain the trains.

Already, the concessionaire on the blue line has procured carriages from Canada (they were subway trains, but have been converted to surface trains). Lagos State Government will build a dedicated independent power plant to provide electricity to the system.

The Blue Line.

The Lagos-Badagry Expressway is part of the abandoned Trans-African Highway project. However, it is prone to massive traffic jams. This has stunted development along that corridor since people don't want to live and work in that area because of the traffic problems.

Therefore, the Lagos State Government is expanding the road. It will be a 10 lane expressway with BRT and LRT routes. Julius Berger is expanding the road (so far they've expanded the road between Orile and Mile 2 and expanded the Mile 2 Bridge), while Chinese Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) is laying the tracks. It's largely going to be an elevated rail system (CCECC has built part oof the bridge along the Orile axis and they are also building elevated stations from Orile too Mile 2).

Blue line stations will include:

1) Marina

2) Ebutte Ero

3) Iddo

4) National Theatre

5) Iganmu

6) Alaba

7) Mile 2

8 ) Festac

9) Alakija (Satellite Town)

10) Trade Fair Complex

11) Volkswagen

12) Lasu Gate

13) Okokomaiko.


Red Line stations include:

1) Marina

2) Ebutte Ero

3) Iddo

4) Ebutte Metta

5) Yaba

6) Jibowu

7) Mushin

8 ) Oshodi

9) Shogunle

10) Murtala Mohammed Airport (an arm of the line will branch off to the airport)

11) Ikeja

12) Agege

13) Iju

14) Agbado


Blue line station map
www.nairaland.com/attachments/672276_blue_line_pnga13917d2fdbc9789cd7f58263b324ad2

Red line station map
www.nairaland.com/attachments/672277_red_line_png59abed55373c2cbab152a5d023b110d4

LRT overall map
www.nairaland.com/attachments/666990_Lagos20Rail20Map_jpg2e8bf45fedab26a8dc45c644a7e39491

Lamata has proposed 7 lines. They are:

1) Blue line: Okokomaiko-Marina
2) Red Line: Agbado-MMIA-Marina
3) Green Line: Lekki Airport-Marina
4) Yellow Line: Otta-Iddo
5) Purple Line: Redeemed Camp-Ojo
6) Brown Line: Mile 12 - Marina
7) Orange Line: Redeemed Camp-Marina


Below is an overview of the project from Wikipedia.


Lagos Light Rail is a light rail system being developed in Lagos, Nigeria. The system is being sponsored by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and is envisioned to consist eventually of seven lines.[1] The railway equipment including electric power, signalling, rolling stock, and fare collection equipment will be provided by the private sector under a Concession Contract. LAMATA is responsible for policy direction, regulation, and infrastructure for the network.[2] The concessionaire will generate its own dedicated electricity.[3]

History

The idea of developing rapid transit in Lagos dates from the 1980s with the Lagos Metroline network conceived by the Alhaji Lateef Jakande during the Nigerian Second Republic.[4] The initial Metroline project was scrapped in 1985 by Muhammadu Buhari at a loss of over $78 million to the Lagos tax payers.[5] The idea of developing a light rail network for Lagos was revived by Governor Bola Tinubu in the early 2000s with a formal announcement of its construction in December 2003.[6] This initial $135 million proposal was part of the greater Lagos Urban Transportation Project to be implemented by the newly formed Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).[6] LAMATA initially concentrated on developing a Bus Rapid Transit system, running from Mile 12 to Lagos Island. In 2008, LAMATA began also to make progress with the rail project, focussing initially on the Blue Line and the Red Line.

In September 2011, LAMATA announced that it would be acquring its older H5 and H6 subway cars from the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), a public transit operator based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, (as their transit operator is acquring its new articulated six-car fixed Toronto Rocket subway cars to replace the older cars) for its fleet of subway cars that would operate on the Blue and Red lines. [7]

Okokomaiko-Marina Blue Line

In April 2008, the Lagos State Government approved ₦ 70 billion for construction of the Okokomaiko-Iddo-Marina Line, with an estimated completion date of 2011.[2] Advisory services are being provided by CPCS Transcom Limited, an Infrastructure Development consulting firm based in Ottawa, Canada. Construction actually commenced in January 2010, and completion is now expected in 2015. The Blue Line is now being built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation. The Blue Line will run 27.5 km from Marina to Okokomaiko, with 13 stations. End-to-end journey time will be approximately 35 minutes. It is being built as a high capacity, electrically powered rail mass transit system. Most of the route will be on the surface, running east-west, in the central reservation of the rebuilt Badagry Expressway between Igbo-Elerin Road (Okokomaiko) and Iganmu. The line will run on elevated structure from Iganmu along the south side of the expressway passing the junction with Eric Moore Road, crossing just south of the National Theatre to Iddo, then south to Lagos Island with a terminal at Marina. Construction is underway between National Theatre and Mile 2.,A Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) will be constructed at Okokomaiko, with a track connection from the Blue Line to the depot. The entire Blue Line will operate over a secure and exclusive right-of-way, with no level crossings and no uncontrolled access by pedestrians or vehicles. Lagos State is financing construction of the Blue Line from its own resources. A concession contract is being awarded to finance, supply and operate the railway equipment, including electric power, signalling, trains, and fare collection.

Proposed Blue Line Stations

Marina (shared with Red Line)

Ebute Ero (shared with Red Line)

Iddo (shared with Red Line)

National Theatre

Iganmu

Alaba

Mile 2

Festac

Alakija

Trade Fair

Volkswagen

LASU

Okokonaiko

Agbado-Marina Red Line

The second line, the Red Line, will run from Marina to Agbado. The line will share the existing 30 metre wide Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) right-of-way.[1]

Proposed Red Line stations

Marina (shared with Blue Line)

Ebute Ero (shared with Blue Line)

Iddo (shared with Blue Line)

Ebute Metta

Yaba

Jibouw

Mushin

Oshodi

Shogunie

Ikeja

Agege

Iju

Agbado

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagos_Light_Rail

Construction
[img]http://1.bp..com/-2hTxR7GW170/T6ugSHbXxBI/AAAAAAAABJo/pJr-hS1JNXs/s400/11.jpg[/img]

[img]http://3.bp..com/-Y8oAPynvkZk/T6ugYmF7ISI/AAAAAAAABKg/Ldo3wdFQMSE/s400/18.jpg[/img]

[img]http://2.bp..com/-UI3IOrQn2JI/T6ugZPlyhBI/AAAAAAAABKo/m-qQKsaiVLE/s400/19.jpg[/img]

[img]http://4.bp..com/-qgHJv5Uk_hU/T6ugaJAdq8I/AAAAAAAABK4/x4ydMgcBh6I/s400/20.jpg[/img]






Trains
www.nairaland.com/attachments/535114_Image1_jpgf133084d818ba86da13dcf5b4fbeaec3

www.nairaland.com/attachments/535115_Capture_jpg4ab9eeb013d762b85d594a0e858dd0af







More info on these threads
https://www.nairaland.com/898591/fashola-woos-foreign-investment-partners

https://www.nairaland.com/934481/update-10-lane-lagos-badagry-expressway-pictures

https://www.nairaland.com/770192/hundreds-light-rail-trains-left

And who is going to sponsor Fashola's dream for Lagos? Me??

Rivers Monorail.

Okada (motorcycle taxis)

Keke Marwa

Cable cars @ Obudu Cattle Ranch, Cross River State.

Obudu Cattle Ranch, Cross River State (venue of the Obudu Mountain Race).

Okada

naptu2: Obudu Cattle Ranch, Cross River State (venue of the Obudu Mountain Race).

Wow...I am going to visit here one day

Zuma Rock Niger State/Abuja

Aso Rock

Aso Rock & the National Assembly

Aso Rock & the Millenium Park.

Mambilla Plateau

Olumo Rock, Abeokuta, Ogun State

Rock formations, Riyom, Plateau State

Millenium Park, Abuja.


Millennium Park was designed by world renowned architect Manfredi Nicoletti and was officially opened by the United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II in December 2003.

Unity Fountain, Abuja