Anambra Transport business: Monkey work, baboon chop

JOHN Ike sold a parcel of land and bought a bus for commercial purpose so as to make ends meet. He

gave the vehicle to a driver for him to operate but to Ike’s dismay the driver he employed disappeared with the bus for months without him being found. When he was finally found the bus was worn out and in bad shape and to make matters worse the driver made away with his money.

   It is advisable for owners of vehicles to operate them to make profit. If  commercial vehicles are operated by owners they will not only make profit but will save enough money for their families up-keep and also make extra income for purchase of another vehicles with time.

  Road transport business is viable if well managed. It could be started in a small way with money from personal savings or with loan which could be paid back at a stipulated time.

  People purchase vehicles for transport business, some  purchase tricycle, popularly known as ‘keke na pepe' others  go for buses for commercial transport just to make a living.

  As people make choice of vehicles for gains, some people do operate them by themselves, or they give such vehicles out to other operators on a balance-and- take basis just to make gains.

  Those people who give out their vehicle to other drivers have different experiences some owners of transport services are still on the business while others are no longer in the business due to mismanagement.

  Categories of vehicle owners who are still in the business apart from big time transporters, like Izuchukwu, Ekene Dili Chukwu amongst others are mainly those commercial transporters who operate their vehicles by themselves.

  A driver who plys Awka to Oji, Chuka Orji said a small scale transporter should drive his vehicle to succeed. If any vehicle owner wants to hand over his own vehicle to another driver, the owner should make sure the driver is an honest person, if not, he will not make any profit.

  Orji stated further  that “these drivers are fruadsters they tell lies, some will work from morning till evening after making a huge amount of money will return home and tell the vehicle owner that the vehicle broke down on the road and had to be taken to the mechanic for repair. The owner will be made to cough out money to repair the vehicle.

  He informed that unfaithful drivers can also use the vehicle they are driving to carry big loads that can weigh down the vehicles in very short time.   They charge big money and give little to the owners of the business. These bad drivers can even use the vehicles on bad roads just to make quick money to buy their own in no distant dates.

  In the same vein, a retired civil servant Osy Ekenta narrated his ordeal, he said while in service that he bought a bus and found a driver who handled the bus very well and was honest. The owner made enough gain.

  At his retirement period, Ekenta bought more vehicles for commercial purposes unfortunately, untrustworthy drivers came his way, unknowingly, he gave out his vehicles hoping to make profit just as the first vehicle he bought but all proved abortive as those drivers continued to tell stories, lies to Ekenta.

  His aim to prepare for his retirement age is getting out of hands as he continues to hear stories and to repair broken vehicles, while the drivers are living big and the owner continues to live in penury.

  To be on the safe side, people should be well informed before ever venturing into transport business especially those retired men and women  who use their gratuities and pensions to procure  vehicle for transport purposes, to look before they leap.

  They should put into consideration who will operate it, how to settle security operatives along our roads and how to settle agboros in our motor parks.