“Amid Economic Hardship, Nigerian Bus Drivers Turn Vehicles into Mobile Provision Stores for Survival”
Written by SpringsNewsNG Media Limited, March 17, 2025.
The economic hardship bedeviling Nigerians has forced many to indulge in several abnormal means to generate income for survival. As parents are strugglinhttp://economic hardship bedeviling Nigeriansg, so children are turning to various means of survival.
economic hardship bedeviling Nigeriansin several parts of the country, many commercial drivers, especially those with mini-buses operating in academic environments, have now turned their vehicles into provision stores. Apart from these, Point of Sale (PoS) services are also rendered by these drivers, who display their bank account numbers at various angles in the vehicles.
Mr. Emmanuel Uromu, a driver, shared his experience: “I drive a mini-bus in an environment where mainly students reside. I noticed that such primary needs as milk, pen, bread, snacks, among others, are things these students buy, and sometimes they hardly find time to get them. So, I decided to create a mini-store in my bus as another means of survival since the money I get from this driving business hardly sustains myself and my family.
“When I started, it was awkward because passengers were complaining of heat, and you know how students are. So, I fixed a small fan in the bus. So far, I have had lots of patronage, and some people even request things I don’t have. This has also helped me to grow the business. It is one of the best decisions I have taken so far.”
Testifying to the development, Mrs. Elohor Edebor said she saw such creativity and smartness in Delta State. “I saw a commercial bus with a mini provision store a few months ago when I visited Delta State. I was amazed and asked the driver how he copes with people not stealing from him. Never in my life have I boarded a passenger bus which is also a provision store. That is the creativity the difficult state we are in the country has brought out of that man. Himself and his family must survive, and stealing is out of the box for him.”
Mr. Omoniyi Abbey, another commercial bus driver, said: “I don’t blame any driver for selling provisions in our profession. Do you know how much a tire is? Both fairly used and brand-new tires. Even the prices of other spare parts are high. Then you will settle the owner of the bus daily. What about the garage levies paid at different bus stops? Also, in situations where we fall into the traps of law enforcement agencies, we pay through our noses. All these are making commercial transport business tiring and less lucrative.”
The situation highlights the ingenuity and resilience of Nigerians who are striving to survive in the face of economic hardship. Turning a commercial vehicle into a mobile provision store is not just a survival strategy but a creative adaptation to the harsh economic reality.
