Commuters Beware
There are a group of youthful men snatching unsuspecting commuters of their phones and valuables abord PSVs on our roads.
The men step into moving vehicles especially from town towards Jogoo road as conductors are busy collecting bus fares from passengers aboard, and usually at the back of the bus.
One might be tempted to think they are ‘assistant touts’ or ‘co-touts’ to the one already onboard, especially if and when your bus only has one at that time
To them, two minutes is just too much time for them to plan, skim, and execute their mission and drop off the moving vehicles. They are very good at skimming their targets and are mostly interested in valuables such as phones, tablets, watches, etc. that the unsuspecting travelers carry in their hands while seated.
It is always difficult to tell whether they are true conductors or muggers, reason being they are either dressed in a similar manner as the true touts, or the touts are dressed in a similar manner to them. Anyway, who dares hop into a moving vehicle other than conductors and/or touts?
I have been a victim of this and I almost lost my darling phone, which doubles up as my office and triples as my camera. Seated in the third row of seats from the front of the bus, and directly adjacent to the door, I saw this man hop in the bus and settle as if he was the assistant conductor of the four wheeled automobile.
My instincts told me to hold tight to my phone, which I was holding in my hands doing something I can’t recall. For some seconds I battled inside myself whether or not to put the phone in my pocket of which I decided not to.
Hardly had I made the decision than I felt a strange and firm hand grip (and release) my phone at a very high speed. On looking up, as surprised and frightened as I was, the ‘Assistant Conductor’ had already dropped off and even risked being ran over by an approaching vehicle.
When I asked the conductors, the only thing he said was “Kila mtu achunge mzigo yake” (let everyone take care of their belongings). I felt as if he knew what was going on but
In this digital world where smart gadgets are increasingly and speedily becoming part of our daily lives, it is important to be very vigilant of such people as we travel. It is good to challenge the conductors to shut the doors of their busses as they collect bus fare especially when you are seated around the door area.
Also, commuters need to seriously control their usage of smart devices, especially in public gatherings. We work very hard and save so much to buy such devices, only for someone to yield it freely in a very senseless manner and selling out at a throw away price.
The men step into moving vehicles especially from town towards Jogoo road as conductors are busy collecting bus fares from passengers aboard, and usually at the back of the bus.
One might be tempted to think they are ‘assistant touts’ or ‘co-touts’ to the one already onboard, especially if and when your bus only has one at that time
To them, two minutes is just too much time for them to plan, skim, and execute their mission and drop off the moving vehicles. They are very good at skimming their targets and are mostly interested in valuables such as phones, tablets, watches, etc. that the unsuspecting travelers carry in their hands while seated.
It is always difficult to tell whether they are true conductors or muggers, reason being they are either dressed in a similar manner as the true touts, or the touts are dressed in a similar manner to them. Anyway, who dares hop into a moving vehicle other than conductors and/or touts?
I have been a victim of this and I almost lost my darling phone, which doubles up as my office and triples as my camera. Seated in the third row of seats from the front of the bus, and directly adjacent to the door, I saw this man hop in the bus and settle as if he was the assistant conductor of the four wheeled automobile.
My instincts told me to hold tight to my phone, which I was holding in my hands doing something I can’t recall. For some seconds I battled inside myself whether or not to put the phone in my pocket of which I decided not to.
Hardly had I made the decision than I felt a strange and firm hand grip (and release) my phone at a very high speed. On looking up, as surprised and frightened as I was, the ‘Assistant Conductor’ had already dropped off and even risked being ran over by an approaching vehicle.
When I asked the conductors, the only thing he said was “Kila mtu achunge mzigo yake” (let everyone take care of their belongings). I felt as if he knew what was going on but
In this digital world where smart gadgets are increasingly and speedily becoming part of our daily lives, it is important to be very vigilant of such people as we travel. It is good to challenge the conductors to shut the doors of their busses as they collect bus fare especially when you are seated around the door area.
Also, commuters need to seriously control their usage of smart devices, especially in public gatherings. We work very hard and save so much to buy such devices, only for someone to yield it freely in a very senseless manner and selling out at a throw away price.
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