Yuletide Travels: Discordant tunes trail FG’s inter-state fares slash

• Partial Compliance By Select Transport Companies
• NURTW Backtracks, Maintains Normal Fares
• Expectant Commuters Left In The Lurch

There is confusion within the road transport sector over the Federal Government’s announcement of 50 per cent reduction in transportation fares along 22 inter-state routes during this Yuletide season.

Findings by The Guardian, yesterday, indicated that while some of the approved transport companies had started implementing the fare cut, others were still running their affairs without recourse to the President’s directive. This was even as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURWT), who initially announced their support for the fare subsidy from last Thursday, have backtracked.

Meanwhile, residents of states not covered in the largesse have expressed their displeasures over the development, noting that they are also Nigerians and should have been included.

The Federal Government had last Wednesday announced 50 per cent reduction in transportation costs along 22 interstate routes during the Yuletide season.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Presidential Intervention, disclosed this when he briefed State House correspondents at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

He said President Bola Tinubu had directed that commuters on all train services would get free rides from last Thursday to January 4, 2024.

Alake added that Nigerians wishing to embark on inter-state travel to any part of the country — Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Ibadan, Akure, Maiduguri, Sokoto, and other major inter-state transportation hubs would be able to do so at half the cost from last Thursday.

The government said it entered into an agreement with leading transport companies including God Is Good Motors, Chisco Transport, The Young Shall Grow Motors, God Bless Ezenwata and Area Motor to give the 50 per cent rebate to ordinary Nigerians that wish to travel for Yuletide.

However, when The Guardian visited some of the enlisted companies at their loading bays on Egbu Road in Owerri, the Imo State capital, yesterday, they were yet to effect the 50 per cent fares slash.

An official of one the companies told The Guardian, “until we receive such directive, we cannot charge less.”

Meanwhile, commuters were surprised that despite the benevolence of the Federal Government, God Is Good (GIG), The Young Shall Grow, Chisco and God Bless Ezenwata, charged between N28,000 and N30,000 from Owerri to Abuja and Lagos.

A commuter travelling to Abuja said he was charged N28,000. According to him, to show that the Federal Government is serious, fares should be slashed by, at least, N15,000 or thereabout.”

In Lagos, Checks by The Guardian showed that the reduction was yet to be implemented, as most of the prices were still high, especially for travels to East and South-South.

At Iyana-Ipaja Park, God Is Good Motors charged N41,100 to Port Harcourt from Lagos while Okeyson Motors charged N32,000 from Lagos to Owerri.

For the Young Shall Grow bus service at Iyana-Ipaja, the fare was N30,100 for Owerri from N27,100 charged a few days ago.

A passenger, who acknowledged the 50 per cent cut by the president, said it was coming late as many of them had booked ahead.

“For instance, many of us traveling on Friday had already paid N41,000 with God Is Good; before, it was N20,000,” the passenger said.

According to him, “what we learnt was that this affects only the luxury buses. What about small cars? We are still paying the same amount.”

At Oshodi Interstate Park, luxury bus operators including Bonny way Motors, Chimezie and Bros, God Bless Ezenwata and Izu Chukwu were yet to slash prices.

For instance, Lagos to Onitsha, Owerri, Aba, Ihiala and Delta, which used to be N16,200 is now N22,500, while Lagos to Port Harcourt on Chisco was increased from N19,200 to N25, 200.

At Jibowu, yesterday, Ekesons Bus to Owerri was N26,500 and N30,500 to Port Harcourt; Young Shall Grow charges N26,500 to Abakaliki and Enugu while God is Good to Owerri is N42,300 on the mini buses.

One of the operators said: “We read about the development in the paper. Government should reduce the cost of fuel and diesel before giving such a directive to reduce prices.”

Checks on God Is Good Motors website yesterday showed that there is a 50 per cent discount on all fares courtesy of the Presidential Travel Relief Initiative.

But findings by The Guardian showed that the reduction was not yet effective across all its stations in Lagos.

GIG, via its X page, explained that the only terminals they had started the initiative were Jibowu and Ajah in Lagos, revealing, “other terminals would be announced in the coming days.”

There was no word from the four other firms in the initiative as compliance checks on Chisco Transport, Young Shall Grow, God Bless Ezenwata and Area Motor were hampered by their poor online presence.

Despite the high cost of travelling, passengers were seen trooping into parks to board buses to their destinations.

In Kano State, the implementation of the 50 per cent slash only took partial effect.

It was learnt that God Bless Ezenwata, the only company participating in fares slash deal in the state, only gave commuters N7,000 discount. The Guardian confirmed that passengers travelling to Onitsha, Owerri, Aba and Port Harcourt who paid N30,000 were given N7,000 refund.

The manager of the transport company in the state, Mr. Ndubisi Ibe, said the branch was directed to cut the fare to South East routes by N7000.

“Just like every other person, I heard about the Federal Government 50 per cent slash in the news but the instruction from the management is that we should refund N7, 000 to those who have already made payments. We started on Friday and it will end by January,” he said.

In Osun State, some residents especially those travelling to other states for Christmas and New Year celebrations complained bitterly for missing out on the 50 per cent slash in price of interstate transport fares by the Federal Government.

Checks by The Guardian across major inter-state motor parks operating in Osogbo, Ile-Ife and Ilesa, revealed that transporters did not comply with the government’s directive.

While some of them retained their usual fares, others hiked them by five per cent because of the rush by travellers, mostly, students who were returning home for the yearly celebration.

Some transporters who are members of the NURTW told The Guardian that they were not listed among transport companies or groups for the fare cut programme by the government.

A bus driver at Lagos Park in Aregbe area of Osogbo, who identified himself simply as Sikiru said: “I heard of the transport fare reduction in the news but we that are NURTW members operating in this park are not carried along in that programme.

“We can only reduce transport fare when the Federal Government brings down the price of petrol.”

Another bus driver at Lagos-Ibadan Park in Old Garage area of Osogbo, who did not want his name mentioned, pointed out that none of them at the park received any information either directly from the Federal Ministry of Transportation or from the leadership of the NURTW.

Meanwhile, residents of the state seen at the parks travelling to other states expressed displeasure for not benefitting from the programme.

A traveller, who identified herself simply as Deborah, who was seen at Lagos Park, said: “I thought I would be paying half of my usual fare to Lagos but I was surprised when I got to this park and they said nothing of such. In fact, they slightly increased the fare from N5,000 to N5,500. I was here last week and I boarded a bus N5,000. Now, they have added N500 maybe because of the rush.

“It is not too late for President Tinubu to do something about Osun and other states that are missing out on this slash. We still have some days to Christmas and New Year. I want the Federal Government to make the merry go round,” another traveler, Ibukun Ajeigbe appealed.

Travellers in Kaduna State also lamented that the 50 per cent slash in transport fares directive was being poorly implemented.

When The Guardian visited most of the motor parks at Television Garage, Kawo and Abuja Park at Command along Kachia Road, the passengers lamented that vehicle owners were insisting that they would collect the full transport fares.

At the Command junction, along Kachia road, David Omali, who took a Sienna bus to Lagos, said: “We are surprised that the President gave directive for 50 per cent cut in transport fares but the drivers are insisting on collecting full payment of N24,000. In other parks, they charge higher than this amount. So, we can say that the directive by Government has been ignored.”

The Manager of Peace Mass Transit in Kaduna, Paul Asogwa, said the company was not part of the deal and was charging its normal fares.

“We have not received any instructions from our head office to reduce transport fares by 50 per cent.

The directive of government is not working here. We are still carrying our passengers at our old rate depending on where they are travelling to.

“From this park, we charge our passengers going to Lagos N24,000 and those going to Abia N23,000. So, we collect the full amount from them.

“All these problems Nigerians are facing are as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy. Without the government reducing the pump price of fuel, there is no way the 50 per cent deduction of transport fares this Christmas season will work.

“We are not finding it easy at all. There is low patronage of travellers and the government is asking us to reduce our fares by 50 per cent. We are still buying fuel at N650 naira per litre. We use 190 litres to go to Lagos and we need to maintain our vehicles. How can the government directive work? You tell me.”

Few of the transport companies visited by The Guardian in Calabar, Cross River State, feigned ignorance of the 50 per cent fares slash directive.

Some of the companies described the initiative as one of those lies by the Federal Government, accusing the Tinubu administration of making so much promises without fulfilling much.

“Look at this bus, it’s going to Aba, it will carry 13 passengers and we charge N6,000 from Calabar to Aba. How much is that? More than N80,000; and we spend more than N70,000 for fuel alone. What about maintenance and other cost? You know the roads are very bad. So, it is not funny. We are having it tough in the business. If government wants to help us, they should stop talking too much,” said the driver of an inter-state bus in Calabar.

A staff of Calculus Transport company, Agbe Ekuma, also said: “In previous years, our vehicles were not always enough to serve all the passengers by this time of the year. But this period, the passengers are not even there. Look at all these vehicles; they have not left this place for days. If you manage to load two in a day, that will be our business for the day.

“All of this is because of high cost of petrol and we must charge according to the way we buy petrol. So, if they are talking of giving transport companies money so that passengers will not have to pay more to travel for Christmas, they should act fast. So, my sister, we are not aware of that.”

Lamenting over high transport fares, a passenger at Onitsha South Transport Company, Vincent Oyama, said: “There was a rumour that the Federal Government was going to give buses to different companies for them to charge less but up till now, they have not done so and these transport companies are exploiting us. You can’t blame them because of the increase in fuel pump price.”