Nigeria Content Online

Passengers, who
have started besieging the various motor parks in Lagos with intention
of traveling `home’ for the Yuletide have lamented the hike in fares by
inter-state transport services.

Some travellers,
who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, expressed the
fear that the increase in transport fares might hinder many families
from travelling for the holidays.

A civil servant, Jonas Iwuoma, said that the high fares had affected his earlier plan to travel with his family to the village.

“When I got to the
motor park to find out the cost of travelling from Lagos to Owerri by
luxury bus, I discovered that the fares had been increased from N2,500
to N7,500, therefore I cannot afford it.

“I had earlier
thought of going to the village long before Christmas when fares would
have been affordable, but as a civil servant, it wouldn’t have been
fair on my employers and colleagues,” Mr Iwuoma said.

A businessman,
Francis Nwoye, said that the hike in fares was so high that he was
forced to leave behind most of the goods he had intended taking home
for his aged parents and relatives.

“Can you imagine
the rate at which people are moving luggage and goods home that the
cost of transporting goods may surpass passenger fares; that is why I
decided to drop some of my luggage at home,” Nwoye said. Israel
Umuerrie, Zonal Manager, Delta Line Transport Services Ltd, told NAN
that since last week Wednesday, there had been an upsurge of over 100
per cent in the volume of passengers being recorded daily.

Mr Umuerrie said
that before the Christmas season, the service conveys about 120-150
travellers daily from Yaba to Asaba, but since last week, about 300
passengers are conveyed daily.”

The official confirmed the hike in fares but attributed it to the traffic congestion along the Ore –Benin road.

He said that before the festive season, the company charged N2,500 but now, it charges about N3,000 from Lagos to Delta State.

Mr Umuerrie
disclosed that five additional buses have been added to the three on
the route because of the upsurge in passenger traffic.

Officials of three
other luxury bus transport services and three Hiace bus services who
did not want their names published, also corroborated what Mr Umuerrie
said.

According to them, the increase in fares at this period is normal.

“This is the season we make appreciable money in the year,” they said.