The Science of Danfo Transportation in Ibadan…. I couldn’t Stop Laughing while Watching This! [Video]

Kayode Oyinbo, an American who is on a visit to Nigeria, learned how to speak Yoruba fluently and decides to take a trip around the ancient town of Ibadan, taking danfo buses and local cabs. See the video clip below.

However, here is a summary of his step by step guide:

Step 1: Go to Motor Park… He walks down to a motor park in Ibadan. Empty danfo buses are lined up along the road, waiting for passangers while the bus conductor keeps shouting “Sango, Mokola! Dugbe! Dugbe!… Mokola! Dugbe! Dugbe!…”.

Step 2: Eat some ‘reinforcements’, ‘cos the trip may take a while… He sees a woman selling boiled corn just beside the waiting bus and he decides to buy and starts munching it while he waits for a danfo going to his destination.

Step 3: Find a danfo going to your destination, and make sure you listen carefully to the conductors for price and destination info… A danfo comes along and the conductor calls out “Bodija! Bodija! hold your 50Naira oh!” Kayode’s budget for the journey is just 20Naira, ‘cos he travelled the same route a week before and paid just 20naira, so he has to wait for more Bodija buses to come, hoping to find one that will collect 20Naira from him.

Finally a bus comes along, the conductor calling “Beere! Ojo-Oba! Bodija! Beere!…”. The price sounds good, so he hops in quickly.

Step 4: Squeeze yourself into the danfo!… He tries to adjust in to fit the tight space available for him at the back seat of the bus since the bus takes four passangers per seat.

Step 5: Have patience, ibadan traffic can be brutal.

Step 6: The danfo reaches a bus stop along the route and some people alight… the bus driver is so eager to take off so as not to lose any potential passanger ahead to other buses, that the alighting passanger will have to drop off quickly else he might miss a step and fall off the bus.

Step 7: The danfo halts again at another bus stop… Some of the passengers disembarks the danfo before continuing the journey.  Someone boards the bus at the bus stop and the conductor shoves the guy into the bus so that the driver can quickly take off and catch other potential passengers ahead. The boarding guy gets angry and retorts at the conductor. After a little squabble, everyone settles back in and the bus takes off again.

Step 8: Get to a bus stop and alight to take taxi going to another part of the town…. so, he treks a little down a street to get to the nearest taxi park.

He finally finds a taxi at the park going his route and he negotiates the price, then hops on and squeezes himself in again, ‘cos the taxi takes 2 passangers on the front seat and 3 passangers at the back seat.

Step 9: Have patience as the driver attempts to start the vehicle. (attempt 1)…

The car refuses to start. So, the driver depresses the accellerator repeatedly and tries to kick the car again. (attempt 2)…

Still the car is not starting. So, the driver tries the kick again…. (attempt 3).

Step 10: Call a baba (old man) at the park to give the car a push as the driver jump-starts the engine.

This time it starts…. success at last! Then take off.

Step 11: Get to another bus stop and alight to change taxis, for hopefully the last time…

Then start looking for taxi going to your final destination…

No luck! None of the passing taxis are going your way…

Waiting… patience… waiting… patience…

Step12: Flag down a random private car willing to give you a ride.

After some time, a private car stops and gives you a ride.

Step 13: Arrive at your destination at last!

 

See video below:

Photo Credit: www.irinajoyinbo.wordpress.com

Bodija, Bodija Market, Danfo, Ibadan, Nigeria Public Transportation