Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
News  

Passengers stranded in Calabar as taxi drivers down tools

By Anietie Akpan, Calabar
22 July 2015   |   11:55 pm
It was hard times for commuters in Calabar yesterday as commercial taxi drivers took to the streets protesting against an allege extortion for wrong parking by officials of Cross River State Transport Regulatory Agency. On assumption of office, the State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, disbanded the state’s commercial transport regulatory agency (CTRA), due to several…

taxiIt was hard times for commuters in Calabar yesterday as commercial taxi drivers took to the streets protesting against an allege extortion for wrong parking by officials of Cross River State Transport Regulatory Agency.

On assumption of office, the State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, disbanded the state’s commercial transport regulatory agency (CTRA), due to several complaints against the body.

But protesters took to the streets displaying various placards to register their grievances. Transport activities were temporarily disrupted along the busy MCC Road as well as Murtala Mohammed Highway.

A taxi driver, who simply identified himself as John Ekpenyoung, said most often in the course of doing his legitimate business the agency’s officials harassed and extorted money from him based on frivolous traffic offenses.

He explained, “even when taxi drivers load and disembark passengers at the government designated bus stops in the metropolis, the officials still pounce on them and extort monies ranging from N3, 000 – N7, 000.”

Ekpenyoung further said that the protest became necessary following failure of the state’s taxi union leadership to protect the interests of its members.

He accused the union’s leadership of obtaining a franchise to operate their own businesses, hence the lukewarm attitude towards the plight of the generality of its members.

He said: “Whenever they collect money from us, our leaders are less concern, because they are trying to protect their selfish interests. They have given them free license to operate.

Another driver, who refused to reveal his name, said that officials of the transport regulatory agency were ignorant of the law.

While wondering why the officials always apprehended and extorted money from taxi drivers who operated within the confines of the law, he appealed to the state government through its Department of Public Transport (DOPT) to wade into the matter.

He described the conduct of the transport agency workers as ‘un-civil and reckless’, adding that their action made life unbearable to both taxi operators and the passengers alike.

Commenting on the action by the taxi drivers, the Consultant to DOPT, Maurice Nyam said that government was trying to allow free access to the road but there were some areas they were not supposed to park and the use off colour that was not allowed.

0 Comments