OAU Students Bemoan Inadequate Transportation Services at Road 7

Insufficient on-campus accommodation is one major issue that students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, contend with in their academic pursuits. While transportation within the school premises is less challenging for students living on campus, the tale is different for those off-campus, who tire out while plying the diverse entrances into the university premises, depending on where they live. 

Students who have to ply the Road 7 entrance into the university have it more difficult as they have to worry about insufficient transportation as they also juggle academic workloads.

Students Share Ordeal

Klistivivi Ogunlana, a medical student residing in Gloryland, explained that getting to campus is often strenuous as the sun beats down on them during weekdays while they wait in a slowing-moving queue to board vehicles to school.

Mr Ogunlana said, “There are times I have to walk down to Phase 2 to be able to get a shuttle, or I just flag down a vehicle that is coming to campus. This is always easy in the morning because lecturers are always coming to campus, but it becomes an arduous task in the afternoons and evenings.”

Kehinde Omisore, a Pharmacy student,  said, “Going in and out [of campus] is so stressful and time-consuming”. She explained that she often waits for several minutes, sometimes more than an hour, for someone to give her a lift. 

While calculating the cost implication, she said, “If we want to be taking the shuttle, it’s not going to be easy for us and our parents because if we are to calculate #200 to and fro for a semester, it is a lot.” She stated that the exorbitant cost of living off-campus is worrisome, coupled with other expenses.

She further revealed that attending night classes or tutorials is difficult for interested students living along Road 7. Ms. Omisore said that sometimes, she has to sleep on campus overnight because of general courses that start early the next day to avoid being barred from joining classes or writing tests due to late coming.

Mercy, who refused to give her last name, a postgraduate student of Architecture, said that “transportation towards Phase 2 has not been cool because people have to queue for the shuttles.” She mentioned that shuttle buses waiting for full capacity at Phase 2 before moving often leave them stranded at Road 7.

She said, “Coming through town costs more. As such, people who have appointments must wake up early to catch a shuttle. In the past, people responded positively to carpooling, but it has reduced at the moment, probably because of the security situation and fuel.”

At the time of the interview, Mercy stated that she was heading towards Phase 2 and had already spent 15 minutes waiting for a ride.

Paul Oluwabiyi, a 400-level Civil Engineering student, explained that there are times when he has to wait for about an hour before he can get a shuttle.

Mr Oluwabiyi stated that he has been plying the Road 7 route since his 100-level days. He noted that the rush hours are between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the morning and also in the afternoon when most people finish their lectures.

Shuttle Drivers Lament

Mr Lukman, a shuttle driver, explained that the shuttles operate from Mondays to Saturdays and on rare occasions, Sundays. “Most of the time, passengers are always waiting to flag down cars, so the drivers do not concentrate on them,” he said.

He revealed that he prefers picking up passengers at the parks instead of picking up passengers along the way because the latter makes him run at a loss.

He said, “Even as we claim that these vehicles save fuel, there is no way it would not consume about one and a half litres to and fro’. There would be a shortage if one decided to go ‘passenger hunting’ and return with four passengers. Just ₦800 will be made from the trip, and the driver will run at a loss.

“It is not a commercial area but a student area where everyone has a set time to get to wherever they are headed. The only time the drivers get to operate is in the morning and evening,” Mr Lukman added.

He explained that everyone needs to adapt to the situation because it would be unfair to the drivers to run at a loss because they want to pick up students along the way instead of loading up their vehicles at the parks.

Students’ Union Interventions

Over the years, several plans have been rolled out by the Students’ Union Government (SUG) to address the issues faced by residents of Road 7 and its environs. In an interview with the 2021/2022 Students’ Union President, Olayiwola Folahan, he explained that transportation was the main issue he wanted to address, especially for the Road 7 residents. He stated that the proposed solution was to secure buses to transport them at a lower price in the morning and the evening. However, the administration was unable to bring this idea to life.

The present administration introduced the Union Shuttle Initiative in partnership with Uniconne, a youth-led cross-campus enterprise. The Union shuttle, after a week of operating, expanded its operation towards Damico and Road 7, and pegged the fees at ₦100. However good this initiative must have been, it has ceased to operate at the time of filing this report.