Coal city shuttle or coal city bus as we prefer to call it is a government-owned long bus that conveys commuters along the routes it takes on the streets of Enugu city.
Red in color with some shades of black and boldly inscribed in white is 'COAL CITY SHUTTLE'
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One peculiar thing about coal city bus is that it charges a bit lesser fare than any other bus in town; that is the bait...lolz
The price is the bait in the sense that it allures people into running behind their daily schedule just out of the intentions to take this shuttle and save themselves some money.
The money they don't always end up saving but loosing more instead because of the decision to enter this shuttle.
This happens so often as the buses are so weary that they break down along the road, sometimes,before getting to the final destination.
The acclaimed financially wise fellows most often not just end up loosing more money while trying to save it but also more time just by taking this shuttle.
I have experienced it a lot.
Sometimes when it breaks down, the driver acts funny by suddenly switching carriers into assuming an automobile engineer.
He leaves the steering, goes down and bends over sometimes claiming to be looking for the solution to the broken down bus.
As if that's not enough, he changes clothes immediately as he lays on his back under the bus just proximal to the front wheels doing the repairing work that he combines to double as an automobile engineer in addition to being a coal city shuttle driver. Lolz
Sometimes, the driver zooms off on a bike with an empty gallon claiming to be going in search of water which the bus needs to regain strength to move again.
No amount of side comments or lamentations will prompt him into refunding any commuter.
You just have to sit back and pray the bus recovers and moves.
The overloaded commuters who were standing keeps standing too, hoping for fate to smile on them and the but regains functionality.
Or you alight and take the next passing bus to your destination, thereby forfeitong the coal city shuttle fare.
It has been a saver to some on a very few good days while it has been an ordeal to many on more often occasions, medical students included.
It is an ordeal to many medical students because we travel in it sometimes to the teaching hospital where we receive our training.
On the bad days for the bus, the consequences are that we run behind schedule either going for our clinical posting or going back to our hostels when we are done for the day.
The scolding we received from our chiefs and lecturers as a consequence of the coal city bus delays and disappointments is nothing to write home about but we save the story for another day.
Is it how people keep alighting every minute into the journey especially while going back home from work?
People still endure all this in a bid to save some money due to the poor economic condition we face in the country Nigeria.
People take a lot of inconveniences just to keep surviving.
To keep going, people have sacrificed their comfort.
I mean, do you blame anyone?
It's crazy.
One can hardly breathe in fresh air while inside a coal city bus...
Amidst all this, you can never see coal city bus move an inch from the loading spot unless it is fully loaded with people to the extend of some people standing and supporting their balance by holding the metallic rails hanging down from the roof of the bus.
Will you blame people who still board coal city bus every single time and day they have the opportunity to do so?
If it is not for the relatively cheap fare of the bus, who if not the psychos would ever prefer to spend 4hours on a journey of 1hour, all things being equal?
In fact, some people seem to have sworn an oath of allegiance to the all mighty coal city bus and have resolved that it is them and coal city bus in good and in bad, for better or worse, as long as it still exists...lolz
That could only explain why regardless of the inconveniences, people still take coal city bus and even overload it.
It's hilarious and at the same time pitifully.
Hope it was worth your time.
Thanks for stopping by, just like coal city shuttle. Yours is more honorable though.
Big love
From your favorite tyro
@hillstobens
