Despite the latest increase in petrol prices, commercial transport operators in Calabar, Cross River State, have resisted raising fares, choosing instead to absorb the higher cost of fuel as commuters struggle with rising living expenses.

A check across parts of the metropolis yesterday showed that transport fares remained largely unchanged, even as petrol sold for between N1,410 and N1,500 per litre at some filling stations.

For commuters, the decision has offered temporary relief from another increase in the cost of daily transportation.

A passenger, Blessing, said she paid N500 from Ikot Ansa to Eta-Agbor Roundabout, the same fare she had been paying before the latest petrol price increase.

“I paid N500 from Ikot Ansa to Eta-Agbor Roundabout. That is the usual fare and the driver did not increase it,” she said.

Another resident, Ekong, said he paid N250 from Ikot Ishie to Marian Market, adding that the fare had remained unchanged.

Similarly, Anabel Abang, a student of the University of Education and Entrepreneurship, Akamkpa, and an entrepreneur, said she paid N2,000 from Calabar to Awi, Akamkpa, where the university is located.

She said she travelled to school yesterday and was charged the same fare she had been paying despite the increase in petrol prices.

But while commuters continue to pay the existing fares, drivers said the higher pump price was putting pressure on their earnings.

One of the drivers said rising fuel costs, vehicle maintenance and other operating expenses were making commercial transportation increasingly difficult.

“We are buying fuel at a higher price now, but if we increase the fare, passengers will complain because they are also facing the same economic hardship. So, for now, we are managing,” he said.

The operators’ decision to maintain existing fares has therefore provided some respite for commuters, although drivers warned that absorbing higher operating costs could become increasingly difficult if petrol prices continue to rise.