How does Lagos’s Transport System Beat London’s Hands Down?
The Molue/Okada/Keke system (MOK for short) in Lagos is AMAZING. It uses literally no digital scheduling, routing, or central planning technology but beats the BRT system (Lagos’s state supported bus system) hands down and is perhaps the fastest way to get around Lagos.
Here’re the reasons why I think Lagos’s MOK is great
1) Predictability. After tracking variance in my commute time with day of the week, I noticed I can estimate to about 5mins what my commute time on each day of the week will be, and It’s been surprisingly consistent. For a seemingly unplanned system this was a huge surprise.
2) Safety. You may think safe, how? But by using MOK you’re less likely to be stopped by police, or SARs (Nigeria’s notoriously brutal police), less likely to be targeted for kidnapping or theft, and less likely to be extorted (if at all likely).
3) Long term viability. Vehicles used are rugged and constantly maintained, albeit to limited but decent standards (breakdowns are RARE). This means most buses can expect a long service life, which keeps costs low. Also, compared to the BRT system which is likely unprofitable, limited in scope, and offers limited employment, MOK is evidently profitable and offers mass employment. It’s here for the long term.
4) Civility. It works on a first sit first serve basis and provides for vehicle replacement/refunds. So all you need to do: get a seat first, and demand for refunds/vehicle replacements if the vehicle doesn’t reach your destination.
5) Short Wait Times: BRT wait times are often in the 40min-hour range, MOK’s in the 1–10min range, and on a seat. So while you almost always see queues at a BRT stop, you never really see any at MOK stops.
6) Central Revenue Collection. There’s a route tolling system likely imposed by NURTW (Nigeria’s National Union of Road Transport Workers) which collects taxes from the drivers, who then pass on the cost to the passengers. I.e there is a body powerful enough to impose taxes, which can also impose standards.
7) Market trader logistics. It powers pretty much the entire informal market in Lagos by providing a way for traders to cheaply transport goods.
Conclusion & Question
MOK is predictable, safe, here for the long term, civil, fast, affordable, profitable, job creating, and taxed. It definitely needs a broader set of standards, but it’s a shame the state government seems to be neglecting it. Here’re the standards you can expect from a MOK vehicle:
- Seats are available.
- Windows can prevent rain coming in.
- Litter is swept away regularly.
- The vehicle’s engine can move the vehicle.
- Tires are pumped, with a spare available.
- There’s some luggage space.
- Doors can close.
Here’s an expanded list I would like to have introduced and or enforced for starters:
- Vehicles are Wi-Fi enabled. Do-able with the palm sized Wi-Fi devices produced by Smile et al.
- Emissions are within environmentally friendly levels.
- Vehicles are air-conditioned.
- A cashless payment system is available. Do-able with Nigeria’s mobile money transfer technology, but more on this later.
Admonition
Given the MOK system simply needs a broader set of enforced standards to improve it, and has a body which is demonstrably capable of enforcing standards, it really made little sense in my opinion to invest in an entirely new system, the BRT system, and it makes even less sense to restrict the road routes carved out for the BRT to just BRT vehicles.
I also wonder if there’s a policy in place on increasing MOK’s safety, predictably, comfort, user-friendliness and eco-friendliness standards? For example, a policy to reduce traffic jams may suggest providing up to date maps of MOK routes, and subsidizing MOK vehicle upgrades to make them more attractive to middle-class car drivers, in the hopes that car drivers would then increasingly opt to use MOK vehicles, limiting the number of cars on Lagos’s roads, and improving traffic flow.
Rather than opt to build on what exists, it seems Lagos’s policy makers saw no merit in the existing system and instead believed they could replicate London’s bus system in Lagos, complete with mass-seater buses and dedicated road lanes in a city that doesn’t have enough roads, road infrastructure or nearly enough built up bus stops.
Ridiculous. Lagos’s transport system beats London’s hands down by taking into account the limited infrastructure available. Or put another way, London’s system won’t work with Lagos’s infrastructure.
