Nigeria, Sept. 15 -- On a recent afternoon in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, scores of commuters waited at the bus station for the arrival of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses to convey them to their destinations. A PREMIUM TIMES reporter joined in the wait, the aim being to ascertain the ease of commute for Lagosians.

About an hour and a half later, one of the buses arrived.

And a scramble ensued. Passengers who were, hitherto, not on the queue battled those in the line for a space in the bus.

It took the arrival of a BRT official to restore orderliness.

Then, with the use of their cowry cards, the passengers began to board. The card is a reloadable prepaid card that once tapped against a machine in the bus, scans the bar code and deduct...