Many passengers who intend to travel for the yuletide to reunite with loved ones, but have been frustrated by the high road transport fares, have cried out to President Bola Tinubu to intervene just like he did last year.
It would be recalled that just like last year, the federal government announced a few days ago that it will be offering free train rides to Nigerians who intend to travel this festive season.
In the absence of free road trips, the travelers want the Federal Government to restore the 50 percent fare reduction on inter-state luxury bus routes granted to road passengers at this time last year which lasted between December 2023 to the second week of 2024.
The passengers who spoke at various terminals and loading stations of long distance road transport companies in Lagos, were reacting to the sharp upsurge in fares to about N40,000 on luxury buses and N65,000 on mini buses going to the east.
Checks at some of the boarding stations revealed that upon hearing the announcement of free train ride, some passengers thronged the loading stations at various points in Lagos to benefit from the gesture, but were disappointed when they were informed that the offer did not cover road transport.
At Terminal 1 in Oshodi, Alafia, Jibowu, Mazamaza, and private stations in the Cele/Ejigbo axis, on Saturday, passengers bemoaned the high cost of travelling on both the big and small buses, disclosing that many people were not travelling because they couldn’t afford “the exorbitant fares the transport firms are collecting.”
Interestingly, a trip on board Toyota Sienna which used to attract slightly higher fare than on a typical mini bus, is the same at N40,500
One of the passengers told our reporter in one of the stations in Cele, “You press people should please tell (President Bola) Tinubu that poor masses cannot afford to go home this Christmas because there is no money in the country. (President) Tinubu should please repeat the 50 percent discount on long distance fares which some of us enjoyed last year to travel home.”
At the nearby Young Young Shall Grow station, a passenger who planned to travel to the east recalled how he took advantage of the 50 percent fare discount to travel from Abuja to Onitsha and back in 2023, and wondered why the Federal Government has not considered the re-introduction of the palliative this festive season.
According to the man who gave his name as Chinedu Uzoechina, his intention to travel to Anambra state and back with his wife and five children, has been stalled by the high transport fares being charged at the various terminals.
Uzoechina, who came to book for seats in advance, lamented, “I was hoping that the 50 percent fare discount that followed the increase in fuel pump price would be available this year, but that has not been the case this year. Forty thousand into seven is N280,000 for one-way luxury tickets.
“If you add the cost of coming back, it means I will spend nothing less than N560,000 on transportation alone for seven of us. Where will I get that kind of money? I have called my wife to inform her of the situation here (at the terminals in Cele). She is not happy that we are not travelling anymore, but what can I do?”
According to him, the only thing that could make his family travel again is if the Federal Government extends the free train ride offer to long distance road transport routes, like Lagos-east, or reduces the fares in collaboration with the operators.
Like Uzoechina, many other intending travelers were still hopeful that the government would still intervene with a fare discount, even as they disclosed that they would either cancel the trips outright or reduce the number of tickets to be bought, if their hopes are dashed.
It was learnt that the fares were slightly lower by about N2,000 at Terminal 1 where both big and mini buses have been loading for day and night trips at Oshodi.
Reacting to the passengers’ complaints about high fares at the terminal owned by the Lagos State Government, Damian Ezuma, the manager of Izu Chukwu Transport, blamed the situation on the rising cost of maintaining the buses as well as on the pump price of diesel, which he said, is as high as N2,000 a litre in some parts of the country.
“It is not our fault. The cost of maintenance is so high that it is only by the grace of God that some of transport companies still manage to keep their buses on the road these days. Do you know that one big bus tyre costs between N250,000 and N500,000, depending on the quality and brand?” Ezuma argued.
He confirmed that many intending travellers who heard about the free train services offer by the Federal Government have been coming to the terminal make enquiries on whether long distance-plying buses are part of the gesture and whether last season’s fare discount applies this year.
Many of them leave the terminal disappointed and deciding not to travel anymore, but opting instead to wait for a possible fare palliative from the government.
Also commenting on the reason for the high fares, a manager at Chisco Transport’s head office in Lagos explained that the unfavourable naira-dollar exchange rate has impacted on the prices of replacement parts and maintenance costs generally.
“But, a major factor is the fact that during the peak festive season, buses are usually full when leaving major cities like Lagos and Abuja, but are almost empty in their return journeys. So, some operators slightly adjust their fares upward to cover the losses incurred during return trips.”
In 2023, the special fare discount by government through the luxury bus owners, took effect on December 21, and lasted till the second week of January, 2024.
