DON'T HIDE, JUST PAY

If you have been on a minibus before, you have probably seen a sticker with the words "Just Pay, Don't Hide" or the one that says "Don't say the driver will pay for me, just pay".

How many of you remember getting on a black and yellow UBZ Neoplan Bus?

The bus had two doors, one at the front and one at the back (In and Out). The back door was the one that you used to get on the bus and that is where the conductor was with his ticket vending machine slang over his shoulder together with a money bag. This is the door where you had to buy your ticket before you got on the bus. You were not allowed to get on the bus using the front door which was strictly for disembarking passengers.

Children of a certain age were not supposed to pay any fare. I am cannot remember what the age limit was but the conductor would ask every child what their age was.  Mothers usually advised their children to mention a lower age so that they could not be charged to get on the bus. But the conductors had a way in which they would determine if someone was cheating.

If he doubted your age, the conductor would ask you to put your arm over your head and cover the ear on the other side with your palm. If you touch your ear, then you are old enough and eligible to pay the bus fare.  Those who completely failed to do this test would get on the bus without paying.

I remember my mom telling me each time we were at the bus stop waiting to get on a bus to try by all means not to touch the ear. This was the part that I hated most because it was humiliating in a way. It was also practically impossible to fake it when I reached the age where my arms had grown long enough to achieve this feat.

I really found this to be the most unpleasant part of every bus ride that I took on a UBZ bus. It also made me feel like a criminal trying to get a free ride. I ended up loathing bus conductors and saw them as some kind of villain.

I also remember mothers and conductors arguing about the correct age of the children. Some conductors even earned themselves a reputation of being the most difficult or stone hearted.

Once you got on the bus, the next ‘villain’ was the Ticket Inspector who was responsible for making sure that everyone on the bus has paid. While the conductor may have been the most feared individual by the kids because of his questioning and strange way of determining their age, the Ticket Inspector seemed to be the most important and most feared individual by cheats on the bus.

The ticket Inspector had the power to throw you out of the bus at any place if he found that you have not paid your fare or if you have overshot your disembarking point. The Ticket Inspector worked in a mysterious way. Sometimes you would find him on the bus and sometimes he was not there.

Some individuals, especially young men, would take advantage of the Ticket Inspector’s absence on the bus and sneak in without paying. The bus would start off quite alright without any incident until it reached the next or even the third or fourth station. As soon as the bus stopped, the Ticket Inspector would get on board.

And all doors were closed. He would then go from seat to seat asking for tickets. If you did not have a ticket, you were forced to pay or even sent out of the bus. At the next station, he would get off the bus and wait to board another bus. He was so very unpredictable. Sometimes the bus would go through all stations without the ticket inspector getting on board.

Sometimes people would ride all the way without paying and without encountering the dreaded ticket inspector until the last stop. Here you would find him waiting for the bus. He would board the bus and stand at the door to check for tickets. I witnessed incidents where young men’s shoes would be confiscated for not having money to pay. The shoes were kept in the bus and they were asked to come and get them when they had the money.

Then somewhere things changed. UBZ was no more. Mini buses came on the scene. Unlike the big UBZ buses, these buses were quicker and carried a small number of people ranging from 14 to 32 passengers. The old UBZ buses carried more than 60 or 70 passengers. The smaller buses only had a driver and conductor. There was no ticket inspector. Up to now, these buses are the most popular for ferrying people around town.

There are no tickets on the minibus which raises so many questions on accountability of the day’s takings. However, the owners of these buses came up with a way of making sure the people working with these buses brought in enough money. They have given them a target amount to bring in everyday without considering how tough business would be at times.

Passengers getting on the minibus do not pay before they get on the bus. You just jump on the bus when it stops and pay a few minutes later while on the bus. Sometimes arguments occur between a passenger and the conductor because some passengers take advantage of the fact that they already on the bus and they will pay less than they are supposed to pay.

In most cases, such people would say “that’s the only money I have” and many times weak conductors cannot do anything but accept. However, there are some tough conductors who would stop the bus, get the money from you and force you off the bus.

It does not matter in what era you're living, paying the bus fare is one way of showing that you are a gentleman.

Image courtesy of  sixninepixels, freedigitalphotos.net