By Kayode Oyeniran
The city of Ibadan, widely known for its rust and gold is indeed an intriguing city. From the brown roofs to the relics of history, they reveal the several historical monuments—a number of which are first of their kind, not just in Nigeria but in Africa.
However, commuting within the city may be one distasteful exercise especially if you have to jump on the popular cabs in the city—micra cabs.
But, you can always save yourself the hassle as you board those micra cabs within the city of brown roofs. Here is a guide you should pay attention with five golden rules you should not forget as you prepare for your next micra ride.
1. Always hold your change
Some of the words you may hear most commercial micra divers echo to you before getting on board are; ‘mi o ni change o’, ‘ wole pelu change e o’, meaning ‘I don’t have change, ‘enter with your change’. That is like a note of warning you should not take for granted.
The consequence of non-adherence can cause you a bad day. While some may rant and speak to you badly for not entering without change, others would delay you while they go find change for you. And in really bad cases, the micra driver collects the money, waits for you to alight the cab, and then zooms off. E, actually, dey pain person.
However, if you don’t have change and you must make the trip, then inform the driver the bill you’d be paying him. Essentially, to avoid stories that touch, be sure at least a passenger in the cab is aware of the deal before you hit the road. An average micra driver not only has the tendency to hoard change, but can also be mischievous; so, save yourself the delays and arguments, hol your change egbon.
2. Always state your exact bus-stop to the cab driver
Just like you’d always like to hold your change, remember to always tell the driver the exact bus-stop you’d be dropping. Significantly, reiterate it to him when you get close to your bus-stop. You, sure, don’t want to get yourself into a needless argument with a commercial micra driver because you were not conscious enough to tell him your exact bus-stop.
3. Avoid sitting in front
If not for anything, at least for your sanity, avoid the front seat. Commercial micra drivers are notorious for conveying two passengers in the front seat even when they are aware of the illegality and inconvenience.
They don’t care. So, to avoid being ‘physically assaulted’ with the gear lever or being squeezed between an individual and the door of the taxi, humbly take a seat at the back. Definitely, you don’t want to be one of the fishes in the micra sandwich.
4. Choose rickety micra cabs carefully
Indeed, you cannot do without the rickety cabs, like MTN, they are everywhere you go in the city. You can only choose which to jump on. So, before you take the decision to jump on just any moving micra contraption, look for the one with less wobble and rumble. Certainly, you don’t want to get to nurse the pain of a bad ride.
5. Avoid micra cabs without the Oyo state colours
Sometime in 2017, the Oyo state government ordered a return to the traditional maroon and yellow colours for commercial vehicles against the green and white used then.
These traditional colours are popularly referred to as omi obe ati gbgiri according to a report by insideoyo. So, before jumping on a commercial micra, look out for the maroon and yellow colours or better still omi obe ati gbegiri. This is important to ensure your safety. Sure, it is not something you want to overlook.
