By Sainey E Jabbie
UTG
The continuous unpredictability of reliable transportation to UTG’s Faraba Banta campus, particularly on Mondays is now a norm for students, the sessions do not begin in the classroom, but rather on the road side – waiting, worrying and often stranded, as the limited transport options turn the pursuit of education into weekly struggle.
Mondays hit the hardest! It is the beginning of the week, and a nightmare for the students. After a day of rest, most of the students return on campus, which leads to a higher demand for transport since most of the core courses are held on Mondays. Every Monday, an unnumbered number of students struggle to find their way to classes with only a few available buses in the early hours of the day. Also, the unimaginably long queue formed at popular pickup points such as Brikama, Westfield, but the worst pickup points are Turntable, Sukuta- Jabang Traffic Light, and Coastal Road.
From personal experience, there is no peace or rest for me or anyone around me on Sundays. As the day grows older, the unimaginable thoughts, feelings, and restlessness about the day ahead are overwhelming. I leave my bed as early as 4:45, prepare myself, and risk my life to reach the pickup point since I have some distance to cover before 6:00 to make it to lectures on time. I can’t focus on reading my notes with thoughts of planning how to get to Faraba on time the following day. Monday evenings become the worst of all; I sleep like a dead horse due to standing under the harsh sun and the never-ending bus rides from campus to Turntable. I won’t mention the pushing and pulling at the door while fighting for seats. My slogan is, “let me attend lectures and get home; sitting or standing is okay.” Monday’s chaos isn’t just inconvenient for students but also unhealthy for our mental health.
As the sun dips behind the trees of Faraba, shouting, rushing, and chaos destabilise the bus park of the Campus. The scramble for mobility becomes the battle of the hour, leaving the most vulnerable behind. Disables are frequently at the mercy of the able since they can’t jostle through the crowd. Pregnant women are clutching their bellies in sweat and nursing mothers struggling to balance their bags and babies in discomfort and dismay. The limited seats reserved for this group are not enough to cater to all, and there is little priority given to this vulnerable group even though they should be considered first. The buses are not properly ventilated, babies are often seen crying at the top of their voices, and pregnant women battling with the heat while on the bus. Transport madness is getting worse day by day.
Even though transport struggles are routine on any other day, Mondays are uniquely chaotic. Some students give up entirely on Monday classes, accepting Monday as punishment in Faraba. As the students popularly say: “Faraba isn’t for the weak, the struggle continues.” Instead of Faraba being a centre for knowledge, sharing, and caring, it becomes a place of punishment, frustration, chaos, and self-centeredness. During lectures, the environment is filled with love, caring, and sharing, but when the wheels are in motion, no one cares who is who; all that matters is getting a comfortable seat, even at the expense of a colleague. There is no proper concentration in the last hour of lectures; students are often seen leaving for the bus park an hour before the lecture ends due to the long queue and struggles ahead of them.
The most heartbreaking part of the scene is the inconsistent dispatch and arrival times of the drivers. It feels like the drivers love and enjoy watching students run from one bus to another during closing hours. The buses are not properly arranged or labelled according to their respective destinations. Students are often in a dilemma about where the buses are heading and when they will be dispatched, without the help of drivers or even our so-called logistics Ministry. Students run from one bus to another like a herd of cattle heading to the field. Basically, there is no empathy or patience shown by some drivers in their line of duty. On many occasions, drivers are seen speaking harshly to students during those tensions and also arguing with students while driving, causing discomfort to others. Due to the desperation in Faraba, buses are overloaded with students like loaves of bread, compromising both safety and comfort. Students are squeezed into tight spaces; some stand or sit in unsafe spots just to reach home. The reckless driving of the drivers adds salt to the existing situation. In a rush to make up for lost time, drivers engage in speeding and dangerous overtaking, even when passengers express fear over the conditions.
Students are calling on the Ministry of Higher Education, University Administration, the Student Union Leaders, and any other stakeholders who would be of help to please join forces to address this pressing issue. More importantly, people should not have moved to Faraba without a dormitory. Until then, more buses should be deployed on Mondays, especially during the peak periods – early morning and closing hours. Buses should be properly labelled and have a special park for each destination. Bus drivers should be properly oriented to be peaceful and to empathise with the students in these chaotic and clamorous moments. They should be educated on safe driving practices and respond to students’ concerns. University authorities and student leaders should partner with drivers to enforce the maximum capacity rule and conduct occasional checks to provide safer travel. Higher capacity buses should be deployed on all days, and not minibuses. Logistic ministry should help to organise the students better – the queues should be observed and maintained. Until real and structural actions are taken, the discomfort and struggles in our academic journey remain the same.
