As fuel scarcity continues to bite harder, motorists and commuters across the country are lamenting the hike in transportation fares. A survey conducted yesterday by New Telegraph across the country showed that transport fares have been increased. A visit by New Telegraph’s correspondent to the popular NTA Motor Park located at Yakubu Gowon Way in Jos yesterday showed that transport fares have drastically increased.
An official of the NTA Park, Mr. Austine Robert, attributed the increase in fares to the fuel scarcity. “The transporters held a meeting and decided on the increase in fares. This is not a good decision, but there is nothing we can do since drivers find it difficult to get fuel. We buy a litre at N180, N190. So, we can’t continue with the normal transport fare,” he said. The transport fare from Jos to Abuja is N2,000 against N1,500; Jos to Kaduna goes for N2,000 against the usual N1,600 and Jos to Lafia is N1,300 against N1,000. Other places like Jos-Bauchi is N1,000 against N700 and Jos to Minna is N2,500 against N1,800. A passenger, Mr. Jericho Robert, who was travelling from Jos to Lafia, in an interview with New Telegraph, expressed sadness over the development. He said: “I paid N1,300 today to Lafia as against the usual N1,000 we used to pay.
The masses are just suffering and those we elected are enjoying themselves. God will surely take charge.” New Telegraph also visited Pleasure Travels Park in Jos and discovered that passengers from Jos to Makurdi pay N1,800 against the usual N1,500. Passengers in Suleja, Madalla and Zuba axis in the suburb satellite towns to Abuja are still paying higher transport fares of N300 for a single trip to Abuja city centre as against N200 transport fare before the fuel scarcity. From Kubwa, another satellite town, used to be N150, but motorists now collect N200. At the Big Joe Motor Park in Kubwa, commuters travelling to Benin City and Warri complained of the hike in transport fares to these two destinations. A trip from Abuja to Warri, which used to cost N3,050 before the current fuel scarcity, now costs N4,000. Similarly, the trip from Abuja to Benin City, Auchi and Ekpoma which used to be N2,300, now costs N3,000. Transport fare from Mararaba to Enugu before the fuel scarcity was N2,500 but it is now N4,000.
In Kano, the transporta tion fares have increased. The transport fare from Kano to Sokoto at the main Kofar Ruwa Garage is now N2,000 as against the usual N1,500 while fare from Kano to Katsina goes for N1,500 as against N1,000. At main Yanlemo Garage, transport fare from Kano to Maiduguri, Borno State is now N2,500 as against N2,000 before the fuel scarcity, while Kano to Abuja is now N3,000 as against N2000. In Kwara State, transport fares have increased. A staff with a federal agency who came late to office yesterday said she used to spend N100 on transport to the office, but that has increased to N200 while even the cabs are not easily available.
Transport fare from Ilorin to Ogbomosho is now N400 from N300, Ilorin to Osogbo is N1,000 from N700, Ilorin to Offa is N500 from N250, Ilorin to Ibadan is N1200 from N800, Ilorin to Ado-Ekiti is N1500 from N900, Ilorin to Omu-Aran is N800 from N400 while Ilorin to Abuja is N4500 from N3500. A visit to Central Motor Park in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, indicated that transport fare from Lafia to Abuja, hitherto N700, is now N1,400; Lafia to Jos is now N1,200 as against N700.
Others are Lafia to Makurdi which used to be N400 is now N700 while Lafia to Shendam is now N1,200 as against N700 and Lafiato Keffi hitherto N400 now cost N700. Until now, intra-city fare in Calabar, Cross River, was N50, except for long distances like going to 8th miles which went for N100. Now any short distance is N100 while longer distances could be N150 or more. For inter-city fares, a survey shows that hitherto, transport fare from Calabar to Uyo, the Akwa Ibom Stat capital, was N500 but has since shut up to N1000.
Going to Aba from Calabar in the past was N1,000 but now N2000. A trip to Port Harcourt now costs as much as N3,000 as against N2,000 in the recent past. In Osun State, transport fare from Osogbo to Ibadan that used to be N300 now costs N600; Osogbo to Ikirun is now N400 against N200; Osogbo to Ife is now N450 as against N250. Within Port Harcourt, commuters now spend extra N50 for long routes. At parks in Waterlines, passengers now pay at least N5,000 to Lagos from the N4, 500 they used to pay, while a journey to Abuja now goes for between N5,000 and N5,500 as against N4,000. For executive trips, passengers pay N7,000 for the journey to Abuja or Lagos. At the Aba Park in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, a journey to Arochukwu, which was N600, is now N1000.
During the Easter, it was N1200. Umuahia to Uzuakoli, which used to be N100, is now N200 while Umuahia to Abam has risen from N500 to N700. Umuahia to Aba that used to be N200 in the long yellow buses is now N300.
Transport fare from Benin to Enugu was N2,000 as against N1,600; Benin to Onitsha is now N1,000 as against N700 while Benin to Abuja is now N3,500 from N2,700. When New Telegraph visited some motor parks located in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, including ROMCHI Mass Transit, Enugu North Mass Transit, Peace Mass Transit among others, transport fares have increased. For instance, a journey from Abakaliki to Port Harcourt, which was between N1,200 to N1,500 now costs N2,700 while a journey from Abakaliki to Lagos, which was originally between N2,500 to N3,000, is now between N5,000 to N6,000. From Abakaliki to Calabar, which was original between N1000 to N1,200 is now N1,900 while from Abakaliki to Enugu which was N300 initially is now N700 while a journey from Abakaliki to Afikpo which initially costs N200 now costs N450.
“We have not had it so bad. We used to pay N200 to go to Afikpo but now we are paying N450. The charge is too high and I don’t blame the motorists because fuel price is very high,” Nnenna Okoro said. In Kaduna, intra city transport fares have also increased, according to Kabir Mohammed, a commuter in Kaduna. He complained that buses now charge N70 from Stadium roundabout to Kawo, adding that it used to cost N50 before the fuel scarcity.
However, inter-state transport fares have remained unchanged at Kawo Motor Park, Alhaji Sumaila Bature, the Public Relations Officer of the Kawo Branch of NURTW told our correspondent.
According to him, taxis still charge N1,200 from Kaduna to Kano while bus fare remains N800. Commercial drivers and motorcyclists now charge exorbitant price for transportation fares. Akure to Lagos that was N1,500 is now N3,000 per passenger. The least fare charge by commercial motorcyclists is now N100 per drop, representing about 50 per cent increase.
