The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Drivers

  • Tanker drivers’ association bans night movement

    the National Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Association (PTD) has banned it members from embarking on night journeys, especially during the yuletide.

    This, according to the National Chairman Comrade Salimon Oladiti, is because of the unsafe roads. He also urged members to exercise extreme caution, saying “it is better to be late than be the late.”

    The association also attributed the incessant oil tankers explosions and carnage on the roads to poor state of the roads and lack of efficient policy formulation.

    The National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Atanda Adebayo, spoke at the end of a three-day Basic Skills Development Training Workshop for Units Elected Officers in Lagos Zone, held at Apapa.

    His words: “Most of the causes of tanker explosions are due majorly to bad roads and government’s unfavorable policy.

    “The reason why Apapa is congested with tankers is because there is a large concentration of oil depots, as well as seaports, in the area. Every tanker driver and containerised vehicle come to Lagos to load products and this inadvertently put so much pressure on the road which leads to infrastructural degradation. “Many portions of the roads are bad; the tankers cannot ply the road easily. Also the parking lot at Orile-Iganmu is overstretched.”

    Adebayo also attributed the current traffic gridlock on the Mile-2 Apapa Oshodi Expressway, to the continued infrastructural decay. He stressed the need for the immediate intervention of governments at all levels to resolve the gridlock permanently.

    The Secretary explained that the training is aimed at capacity building of members, particularly the leaders, in regards to modern challenges facing security, safety and their relationship with the public.

  • Simba Group empowers women Keke drivers

    Simba Group empowers women Keke drivers

    Simba Group has launched an initiative to empower women seeking to be commercial tricyclists.

    Simba Group represents TVS Motors of India and is engaged in the assembly, distribution and servicing of TVS King – the leading brand of Keke in the country.

    Speaking at an event held for women in Eleyele, Ibadan, Oyo State, Mr. Vijay Patil of Simba Group, said: “Increasingly, we are seeing more and more women showing interest in driving three-wheelers due to the attractiveness of this form of employment, and it is our goal at Simba to create and develop the ecosystem necessary for women to be empowered and feel safe and welcome in this industry.”

    Patil explained that the purpose of the event was to bring together the women riders.

    He said for those who already own or operate the TVS King, Simba Group representatives were available for promoting safe driving and training them on how to keep their vehicles on the road.

    Mrs. Lawson Titilayo Adewola, one of the women drivers of TVS King, explained that the economic hardship facing her family prompted her to go into Keke driving, and that the business has allowed her to save money whereas previously all profits were being reinvested into her shop.

    Mrs Adewola said: “Since I have been using TVS, I have been enjoying my relationship  with the company and I am proud to be a woman driver. When men see me driving, they always encourage me and when women see me,theyare amused . Everybody prefers to come into my tricycle.”

    For new and aspiring women drivers, Simba provides basic operator training and shares details on how to maintain vehicles and access genuine spare parts, which are available nationwide.

    The company acknowledged the foresight of these women who had recognised the opportunity in the industry and who enjoyed the flexible working hours the job provided.

  • UK drivers lose 37 million days finding garages

    New research by online car repair marketplace, ClickMechanic, has revealed that every year British motorists lose 893,461,500 hours – that’s more than 37 million days – trying to find a garage or mechanic to fix their cars.

    With more vehicles on Britain’s roads than ever before it stands to reason that there are more drivers to experience breakdowns and other problems.

    By the end of March, there were 36.7 million vehicles licensed for use on roads – more than 900,000 had registered in that single first quarter of the year alone.

    According to ClickMechanic’s research, men are the greatest deliberators, with 16.4 per cent of males taking a whole day (8+ hours) to book their car into a garage, verses only 2.8 per cent of females. Perhaps it’s not too surprising, then, that 16.7 per cent of men confessed to having taken time off work in order to facilitate getting their cars repaired.

    Of the 1000 people surveyed, only 23 per cent were likely to get a single quote for the work needed, with 18-24 year olds being the most likely to shop around; almost a third (31.6 per cent) within that age group said they would spend time calling multiple mechanics. 23.3 per cent of those surveyed had needed to get their car repaired at least twice in the last three years.

    While over a third (37.9 per cent) of drivers said they had their car serviced annually for the last three years, more than a quarter (26.7 per cent) had only had it serviced once in the same time period.

    Anyone who’s ever experienced car trouble will know that it’s rarely a straight forward issue to get their vehicle fixed. A first, choice mechanic may be fully booked; a second is likely too expensive; and the third may lack the experience you need, or have a reputation which you are reluctant to trust. All of these can lead to drivers spending as much as eight or more hours just trying to find a suitable mechanic, without even taking into account the time of the actual repairs.

    ClickMechanic co-founder Andrew Jervis, said: “We all rely on our vehicles to get around in the UK, so the problem with repairs is that you can sometimes feel like you’re at the mercy of whichever mechanic can fit you in. It’s easy to imagine prices being hiked because the mechanic knows that you need them – very few operate that way, but it can be hard to shake the feeling for some drivers! That’s why so many people spend time shopping around.”

  • FRSC trains 2000 drivers in Enugu

    FRSC trains 2000 drivers in Enugu

    Two thousand drivers of an Enugu-based transport company, Peace Mass Transit have completed re-certification training at the Federal Road Safety Corps Academy, Udi in Enugu State.

    The 20-day training was aimed at acquainting the drivers with safety measures while on the highways with a view to saving lives. The drivers also underwent medical and psychological test as well as physical fitness.

    The Corps Marshal Boboye Oyeyemi who presented the certificates to the drivers told them that the training was principally to save lives on the highways through careful driving.

    He said that Peace Mass Transit (PMT) has lived up to expectation of the Federal Government on safety on our roads by the regular training and retraining of its drivers.

    According to him the PMT was ahead of all other transport companies in adhering to the expectations and regulations but only had human problems, hence the training of the drivers.

    Oyeyemi charged the drivers that nothing “short of the best is expected from you the drivers as the best was given to you during the training.”

    The Chief Executive Officer of Peace Mass Transit, Chief Sam Onyishi in his remark said that from the responses of the drivers, “the money and time we spent for the training were worth it.”

    He posited that there was no other transport company in Nigeria that has embarked on such trainings other than PMT.

    He said, “Any other company that comes after us is copying from us.” While urging other transport companies to follow suit, he said the facilities at the Federal Road Safety Academy was not meant for Peace Mass Transit only.

    Onyishi urged the FRSC to publicise the academy so that other transport companies would avail themselves of the opportunity.

    Onyishi announced that the company would soon engage female drivers in its crew while expressing his preference for married men as drivers. He charged the drivers that underwent the 20-day training to always show the difference while on duty.

     

  • NURTW to drivers: get correct vehicle papers

    NURTW to drivers: get correct vehicle papers

    •Erring motorists to pay N20,000 fine

    The Lagos State chapter Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, has urged commercial drivers to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition to avoid sanctions from men of the Vehicle Inspection Services (VIS) of the Ministry of Transportation

    The VIO has introduced new e-billing system for various offences committed by motorists in the state.

    Under the arrangement, motorists caught will be made to pay N20, 000 fine for each offence.

    Such offences, according the VIO include driving with fake /forged drivers licence, cracked windscreen, broken head lamp, rear light and others.

    Motorists can also be penalised for incorrect vehicle papers like insurance certificate, road worthiness etc.

    The NURTW chief advised commercial drivers to ensure that all their papers are valid and up to date to avoid being caught on the wrong side of the law.

    He appealed to men of the Lagos VIO to always be humane in theor dealings with the drivers.

    “I want to make a special appeal to law enforcement agencies to always have consideration for our drivers. The must try to tamper justice with mercy, as it may not be easy to meet all the conditions.”

    The NURTW boss also expressed reservation about the desirability of the Lagos Drivers ‘Institute to re-certify commercial drivers.

    He said:  “Though we welcomed the idea when it was first launched, making it an offence now is unfair, especially concerning the fact that majority of the drivers would have gone through certification by FRSC and VIS.

    “I don’t think that certification by the institute should be made compulsory for commercial drivers; it is those who are about learning how to drive that should be encouraged to visit the institute”

  • Drivers now wary of fines

    Drivers now wary of fines

    Mrs. Mercy Ojukutu has been going to her place of work from her abode, Ajah, Lagos toSurulere without her car. She has even been dropping her three children at the child care centre in a public transport, her reason being that her vehicle particulars expired over two months ago and she does not want to be a victim of the Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service.

    “Right now,I will rather take public transport than be embarrassed and made to pay huge fines. Since the state government commenced the enforcement of the electronic billing system on vehicle particulars and introduced new fines, it is wise for vehicle owners to be more cautious especially in this time of hardship in Nigeria.”

    Mrs. Ojukutu is not the only one who has taken this option but the surprising thing is that most of the drivers who have parked their cars do not even have the full details of the new fees and fines and a majority of them are not even aware that with barely about N15,000 considering the vehicle in question, one can have her vehicle particulars updated though with the exception of driver’s licence.  People mostly ignorant of this are the female folk, a majority of whom have been relying on their husbands and partners on such issues.

    The minimum fine for any expired vehicle particulars is now N20,000, unlike when the manual billing system was in operation. However, with less than that amount, you can have your vehicle papers updated.

    Requirements by the State Vehicle Inspection Service are updated vehicle licence, road worthiness certificate, insurance certificate, valid driver’s licence, fire extinguisher, no cracked windscreen, broken head lamp/rear light/traffickator lights.

    It should also be noted that any forged paper will also attract a N20,000 fine. Also, a company, school, missionary and commercial driver must be certified by Lagos State Driving Institute at LASTMA complex, Oshodi.

    For the benefit of those who do not know, these vehicle particulars can be processed at any of the local government offices in Lagos within a day. A visit to most of the LGAs, like Ikeja and the Alimosho revealed that with about N15,000 one can have her vehicle particulars updated especially if one is wise not to engage the services of touts who even seem to be working in agreement with civil servants.

    At the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency of Alimosho LG on Thursday last week, one of the touts who was openly canvassing for gullible clients and working with the government staff boldly directed this reporter to the office, handing her over to a lady staff who he seemed to have a pact with.

    Not knowing the real identity of the reporter, the LG official was all smiles and eager to help. Initially, she gave the reporter inflated fees for all the vehicle particulars as her other colleagues watched while intermittently chipping in words.

    However, as the reporter pressed on and started jotting down what they were saying, the lady became suspicious and apprehensive. She became less talkative while a male staff started responding to the reporter and giving her less price. The reporter requested for printed out list of the feeswhich they said was impossible to get. What a shame!

    Going by their information which was not different from  information gotten from theAwolowo Road complex of IkejaLGA, renewal of Federal Road Safety Corps[FRSC] road worthiness certificate is N3,000, MOT, N1,500, vehicle insurance, N5,000, vehicle licence N5,000 while the renewal of driver’s licenceisN15,000. According to the Alimosho LG officials, driver’s licence takes up to two months to process.  So, after paying, an attestation will be issued to the driver and with that he/she can drive till the real driver’s certificate is issued.

    Though a statement from the Ministry of Transportation and signed by BiolaFagunwa, Director, Public Affairs, said it had come to the attention of the ministry that a notice of intervention to enforce was currently circulating in the social media with the ministry being attributed to it.

    “For the avoidance of doubt and for clarification purposes, the ministry has not issued any such statement of intention to enforce through Electronic Billing System. The system is not new or specific to the ministry. It is the fines and fees segment of the Central Billing System of the state government that came into effect a few months earlier. The use of e – tickets is not just taking off.

    “As part of the Central Billing System adopted by the Lagos State Government to manage its revenue process, the fines imposed by agencies under the Ministry of Transportation have been changed to e– ticketing.The Electronic Billing System, an automation system, involves removal of hand-written tickets and its replacement with an electronically generated fine ticket which makes it less susceptible to human frailties.The introduction, which is to be generally implemented by all the agencies of the state government, is already being implemented by concerned agencies including the Ministry of Transportation of which LASTMA and Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) are part,” it said.

    The statement said fines to be paid were in accordance with the provisions of the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012 schedule 1dealing with “Traffic Offences Penalties,” adding that the fines ranged from N20, 000 to N250, 000 depending on the offence and the number of times such a person has been apprehended.

    The government added that the introduction of the regime of e-tickets was not punitive as the state government would prefer obedience to the law leading to sanity on the road than all the financial resources that could accrue from the exercise.

    “Road infraction fines are of general application and not specific to any group of motorists. The Ministry of Transportation and its agencies are determined to ensure compliance to the provisions of the State’s Road Traffic Law 2012 and will do so mindful of the right of citizens.

    Part of the information being circulated includes fines due to re-certification of drivers by Lagos State Drivers Institute (LASDRI).

  • Transport firm retrains drivers to stop crashes

    Transport firm retrains drivers to stop crashes

    The crashes have been too frequent. But it was not just the frequency: there were series of complaints and criticisms.

    This left Peace Mass Transit Ltd (PMT), a road transport firm, with no choice but to re-train its drivers.

    The firm, which has been in business for over 20 years, decided to retrain its over 3000 drivers plying 26 states of the country. The company has in its fleet 3000 buses and 4000 employees and ferries no fewer than 30,000 passengers to various destinations.

    The company came under severe criticism after two fatal accidents that involved its buses recently at Umuahia along Enugu/Port-Harcourt express road  and  Bayelsa road, which claimed the lives of many innocent passengers and driver. The public outcry that followed those two accidents involving the company’s buses made the board and management of Peace Mass Transit to launch a campaign tagged, “Defensive Driving” for her 3000 drivers.

    Said the Managing Director and Chief Executive officer of the company, Chief Sam Onyishi: “This has become necessary as there is a great outcry and negative press against the company, as a result of these accidents that is trying to relegate to the background all safety records and achievements of PMT for over 20 years on Nigerian roads.”

    According to Onyishi, the police and eye witness reports have exonerated PMT drivers from the cause of these accidents, but, as a matter of duty, the company in other to retain the full confidence of the general public, who patronise her services, decided to retrain her drivers on defensive driving in conjunction with the Federal Road Safety Corps, and some consultant psychologists.

    Onyishi hinted that one of the safety measures undertaken by the company and which is being revisited is the selection of its drivers. He explained: “At the point of employment of drivers, PMT follows a set standards. Her prospective drivers must have valid drivers’ license, medical certificate of fitness from a government hospital, visual certification report, and drug test report; must be 31 years of age but not more than 40 years. And such person must have driven commercial vehicle for at least 5 years; amidst all these, priority is on married men. Furthermore, prospective drivers bring guarantors among who must be his immediate family member, religious head and community leader. A local government ID letter is also a prerequisite.  We take time to verify all submissions before short listing anyone for interview. After our oral test, a practical test is conducted by a committee made up of a Retired FRSC officer, 2 retired drivers, a psychologist, a retired traffic officer, and a Mechanical engineer. Successful drivers emerge from the above exercise”.

    He said of the training: “At consummation of the above exercise, orientation course is organised for the successful drivers by our safety team, customer service team, maintenance team and operations for 4 days. At this juncture, vehicles are assigned to each driver to ply the shortest distance for 2 years. Performance drives promotions from this point. Key performance indicators here include customer satisfaction, accident free driving and good maintenance culture,” adding,” Every PMT driver must attend training four times in a year; first quarter, second quarter, third quarter and the last quarter and in each of these quarters it is packaged in its peculiarity. We have resource persons coming from training unit of the Federal Road Safety being the supervisory body of road transport sector. Industrial Training Fund also partner with PMT on training, just as Automotive companies who manufacture the vehicles also send resource persons from China, Dubai, South Africa and Japan. They train our people on the use of their vehicle and how to operate it safely on the road. All the bodies mentioned do this in conjunction with our internal training team. A proficient team saddled with the responsibility of having 50 drivers on daily training from 9am to 12pm. It is headed by the HoD of HSE department, a retired State traffic officer; in their team are retired Federal Road Safety officers, retired State Traffic Officers, a Psychologist, retired drivers and a mechanical engineer. We don’t just bring ordinary persons to come and do it. In doing these things, drivers are certified by the different bodies mentioned above.”

  • Drivers, artisans protest against Ekiti workers’ strike

    Drivers, artisans protest against Ekiti workers’ strike

    •TUC chief: protesters suffering from ignorance

    Commercial drivers, motorcyclists and artisans protested yesterday on the streets of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, against the ongoing strike by workers.

    The protesters expressed their support for Governor Ayo Fayose.

    Acting under the aegis of Concerned Trade Unions in Ekiti State, they described the strike as “politically motivated” and alleged that the labour leaders have been bribed with N25 million to destabilise Fayose’s government.

    The unions, which participated in the protest, include National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigerian (RTEAN), Nigeria Association of Cooperatives Transporters (NACT), Okada Riders’ Association, Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) and Pick-Up and Lorry Owners’ Association.

    But Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman Odunayo Adesoye denied the allegation of bribery, saying the labour unions and workers don’t need to be bribed before fighting for their rights.

    Adesoye said the protesters, by their action, displayed illiteracy and ignorance and warned them against being used as thugs.

    TUC boss said: “What we are agitating for is our rights and we can’t wait for any political party to tell us when to take action.

    “The pensioners are dying every day, workers have become paupers and beggars. What we want is our money and nothing more. The drivers and artisans must reason along with us and stop displaying ignorance and illiteracy.”

    However, the protesters advised the labour leaders to suspend their strike and go back to the negotiation table to dialogue with the government in the interest of the people of the state who are affected by the action.

    The protesters, who carried placards, massed at Fajuyi Junction from where they marched through Okesa to Old Garage area to draw attention to their protest.

    Some of their placards read: “Strike is not an option in Ekiti”, “Ekiti NLC is on political strike”, “Fayose is working in Ekiti”, among others.

    RTEAN Chairman Samuel Agbede, who contended that the strike has a political undertone, accused the labour leaders of attempting to blackmail the government by asking the governor to channel his security vote and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to pay their salaries.

    Agbede argued that neighbouring states like Ondo, Osun and Oyo owe their workers without any strike action recorded.

    NURTW Chairman Clement Adekola accused the labour leaders of receiving N25 million bribe to destabilise the state, urging workers to explore the option of dialogue to resolve the dispute.

    NATA Chairman Babatope Alo said the workers should consider the fact that the situation was caused by dwindling allocation and that Fayose was not to blame.

  • PENGASSAN to drivers: don’t sabotage Fed Govt

    PENGASSAN to drivers: don’t sabotage Fed Govt

    The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has warned its drivers arm, the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), against sabotaging the efforts of the Federal Government by flouting rules guiding the distribution of fuel nationwide.

    It said it is in support of the price modulation that led to the removal of fuel subsidy and consequently increased the pump price of petrol from N86.50 per litre to N145 per litre. It therefore warned its members not to sabotage government’s efforts by disrupting the fuel supply and distribution network.

    The PTD’s National President Mr Salimon Oladiti, told The Nation, that the body is working hard  to ensure compliance  with the rules guiding the distribution of fuel and its associated products such as diesel and kerosene in Nigeria.

    He said the association is monitoring its 12,000 members closely, in order to ensure effective distribution of petroleum products in the country.

    Oladiti said: “The issue of compliance with the rules guiding the lifting of fuel from the depots and subsequent distribution to designated retail outlets is paramount to the body. This explains why PTD wants its members to comply with all known regulations on the issue. Failure to do this would attract punishment from the body.”

    Compliance, he said, should be total, if PTD wants to achieve its goal of helping Nigeria to overcome problems in the fuel supply chain.

    “The leadership of PTD has ordered its members to obey directives from NUPENG, oil marketers, depot operators (both government and private) and other critical stakeholders once the directives are geared towards improving fuel supply in the country. By so doing, the body is helping the country to reduce problems in the downstream sub-sector of the oil nation’s oil and gas industry,’’ he added.

    Oladiti said the body has agreed to supply fuel to retail outlets nationwide irrespective of the problems that came in the wake of the recent adjustment in the pump price of fuel by the Federal Government.

  • Passengers groan as LAGBUS drivers protest poor welfare

    Passengers groan as LAGBUS drivers protest poor welfare

    Commuters in Lagos on Friday groaned as drivers of LAGBUS downed tools to protest restrictions preventing them from plying Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) lanes in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that tension had been rife since December 2015 when the Ikorodu-Mile 12 BRT corridor was opened and a new operator for the blue buses resumed.

    Some drivers told NAN in separate interviews that the management had failed to address issues relating to the restriction and poor staff welfare.

    When NAN visited the Toll-Gate depot of the LAGBUS on Friday morning, more than 60 drivers had converged at the entrance on its premises.

    Also, the protesting drivers prevented any bus from leaving the premises of the company, while those who returned late to the depot on Thursday were seen parked outside.

    A driver who preferred anonymity said: “our red buses were denied access to use the dedicated lane; and any red bus that plied it was arrested and fined.

    “So, our management asked us to comply with the directive which they said was from the government; we accepted.

    “But only yesterday, Thursday, the restriction was extended from Mile 12 to CMS and we began to experience arrests and harassment by the BRT monitoring task force for using the corridor.

    “Instead, we are being asked to use the service lane which we consider dangerous to our lives because they want us to now compete with yellow-painted buses whose drivers already accuse us of taking all their passengers.

    “So, that’s the reason for the peaceful protest.”

    The driver said apart from posing a security threat, the restriction had defeated the purpose of reducing delays for passengers and exposed drivers to stress.

    He said efforts to have the management of LAGBUS intervene bore no fruit.

    “They refused to act, instead, they told us to comply with the directive,” he said.

    Another source accused the management of paying lip service to welfare issues.

    “As drivers, we earn a salary of between N22, 000 and N42, 000 a month.

    “Our basic salary is actually N22, 000 monthly, but you earn additional N1, 000 for each day you sign in for work, then another N1, 000 if you are lucky to get a bus to drive for the day.

    “We are also given four per cent of our daily revenue, especially when we meet sales target.

    “How can we earn so little each month when our contemporaries working for the blue buses earn as much as N80, 000 monthly without targets?” the source queried.

    Efforts to reach both the managing director of LAGBUS and its spokesperson for reactions proved abortive as calls to their phones did not connect.

    However, a senior staff of LAGBUS who did not want his name in print because he was not authorised to speak on the matter said the issues would be resolved.

    He said: “It is true that our captains are on strike because of issues concerning the restrictions and management’s inability to carry every staff along.

    “But, I am sure that the issues would be resolved amicably and commuters would begin to enjoy our services once again.”

    Meanwhile, some stranded passengers who spoke to NAN urged the Lagos State Government to intervene in the matter in the interest of commuters and residents of Lagos.

    Miss Caroline Chinedu, a banker, said, “I want to appeal to Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to wade into this issue because exposing us (passengers) to the chaotic traffic situation after a hectic day’s would be unfair.

    “The red buses have been life savers, especially during traffic, as they just glide unhindered along the dedicated lane.

    “So, asking them to use the service lane means many of us who work on the Island would arrive home in the dead of the night.”

    Another commuter, Mr. Musiliu Kamoru, a businessman, said: “The drivers and their management should ensure the issues are resolved during the weekend before Monday to reduce passenger hardship.

    “We are still battling with increased transport fare caused by fuel scarcity, and now the LAGBUS issue is rearing its head.”