Abuja commuters commend Federal Government’s 50 per cent fare discount

Travelers in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have commended the Federal Government for granting a 50 per cent discount on their fare tickets to various destinations within the country.

They made the commendation in separate interviews on Sunday. President Bola Tinubu approved the commencement of the 50 per cent discount of the ticket fare by road, effective from December 24, 2023, to January 4, 2024.

Speaking on the development, a Lawyer, Mr. Dapo Esan, who booked at ABC Transport office for a trip by luxurious bus from Abuja to Lagos, commended the federal government for paying half of his bill .

According to him, the message came shortly, as if it would not happen, but it is real and commendable.

“Normal fare is N35, 000 to Lagos, but they collected 17,500, which is 50 per cent of it. So, that is something good for us. I have already gotten my ticket and secured my seat. This is one of the promises in recent times that would be made by the government which we are seeing being fulfilled. Whether it is going to be 100 per cent fulfilled or not we don’t know. As it stands, I see it as a good step in the right direction toward alleviating hardship that people are going through now in the country.”

He urged the private sector to keep partnering with the government in providing succour to the masses in the country.
“Pronouncement was made a few days ago and it is already being implemented. All the bottlenecks have been taken care of. So, it is good. It is capable of restoring the confidence of the people back in the ability of the government for the capacity of the government to work the talks. What we can say about the private sector regarding this project now is there is a kind of mutual trust between the private sector and the government, as a kind of synergy,” he said.

A member of the National Youth Service Corps, Ms Sylverline Alakwem, serving in Abuja travelling to Owerri, also thanked the federal government for using the 50 per cent to cushion the effect of the high cost of transportation on Nigerians.

The Manager of ABC Transport, Utako Abuja, Mr. Kanayo Friday, also commended the implementation of the government policy to cut off half of the ticket fare for passengers.

“Now we are giving a 50 per cent discount at the point of booking. People are very happy. They did not believe the information initially. Some said it is impossible, but as it stands now, they are now beginning to believe. This is a welcome development.”