Travellers lament high transport fares ahead of Eid-el-Kabir

From Hamisu Kabir Matazu (Maiduguri), Ibrahim Musa Giginyu (Katsina), Bassey Willie (Port Harcourt) & Abdullahi Abubakar Umar (Kano)   Ahead of tomorrow’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration, Muslims travelling for the festivities have decried the sharp increase in transport fares, even as transport operators lament low patronage. Our correspondents report that the rising cost of petrol, which now […]

From Hamisu Kabir Matazu (Maiduguri), Ibrahim Musa Giginyu (Katsina), Bassey Willie (Port Harcourt) & Abdullahi Abubakar Umar (Kano)

 

Ahead of tomorrow’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration, Muslims travelling for the festivities have decried the sharp increase in transport fares, even as transport operators lament low patronage.

Our correspondents report that the rising cost of petrol, which now sells for about N1,400 per litre depending on location, has triggered a corresponding increase in transportation costs.

 

Fare hike in Rivers

Daily Trust checks at Waterlines and Rumokoro motor parks in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, revealed an increase in transport fares ahead of the Eid-el-Adha celebrations.

Most transport companies that charged between N36,000 and N40,000 for trips from Port Harcourt to Kaduna last week have now increased their fares to about N45,000.

Similarly, transport fare from Port Harcourt to Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has risen from N6,000 to N7,000.

A transporter at Waterlines Park told Daily Trust that there has been a slight increase in the number of people travelling from the state to the northern part of the country in recent days, prompting operators to adjust fares to meet demand.

He also attributed the increase to the rising cost of fuel, stressing that transporters must make profits to sustain their businesses.

“There has been a slight increase in passengers travelling to the North and we also have to consider the cost of fuel. We are in business to make gains and not to operate at a loss,” he said.

One of the travellers at the park, Bello Kabiru, who was travelling to Benin, Edo State, for the holiday, said he noticed that transport fares had increased significantly.

According to him, transport fare hikes are usually associated with festive periods such as Sallah, Christmas and Easter celebrations.

Another resident, Mr Sadiq Hassan, a wristwatch repairer, said he had initially planned to travel to Sokoto State for the Sallah celebration but could no longer afford the transport fare.

He said the high transportation cost forced him to shelve the trip.

“Anywhere I stay, I will still observe the Eid-el-Adha prayers and celebrate like those at home,” he said.

A driver with one of the major transport companies in Rivers State, Amadi Pedro, however, said passenger turnout this festive season is lower compared to previous years.

Passengers board trucks to cut transport costs in Borno

In Borno State, passengers at Tashan Joni, an unofficial motor park on the outskirts of Maiduguri, said they patronise the park to board trailers and other cargo trucks in order to save transport costs.

One of the passengers, Ashir Bala, said he has lived in Maiduguri since childhood but decided to travel to his hometown in Gaya to celebrate Sallah with his relatives.

“I made up my mind to travel to Gaya town, but when I went to Tasha Kano Motor Park, the transport fare was too exorbitant. A saloon Mercedes-Benz costs N25,000 while a Hummer bus costs N16,000.

“A friend who overheard me complaining about the cost advised me to come here, and guess how much I paid? N3,000!” he said.

Another passenger, Sadiku Ruwaya, said Tashan Joni has remained his regular park over the years.

“Unlike during other festive periods like Christmas and the last Eid-el-Fitr, there are not many passengers this time around. Only a few of us came this morning to book for tomorrow,” he said.

He explained that the journey usually starts late in the evening before soldiers close checkpoints along the route.

“I will only pay N3,000 or N4,000 at most from Maiduguri to Kano. I deliberately planned to begin my journey tomorrow so that we can arrive on Sallah day. I want to surprise my parents,” he said.

Ruwaya, however, admitted that travelling on trailers is not easy, adding that he usually carries a face mask and blanket to protect himself from the night breeze.

One of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) officials, Malam Abdullahi Danliti, said the park mainly serves low-income passengers looking for cheaper means of transportation.

“Some of the truck drivers even give free rides to passengers. They hardly collect more than N5,000 from passengers travelling to Kano, Zaria or Kaduna,” he said.

He, however, noted that officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) usually clamp down on drivers who allow passengers to ride on top of cargo trucks in a bid to prevent accidents and fatalities.

 

Transporters lament low passenger turnout in Katsina

Meanwhile, commercial vehicle operators in Katsina State have lamented the low turnout of travellers ahead of Sallah, saying only a few people are travelling out of the state, leaving transport businesses struggling.

A commercial bus owner at Ammani Private Motor Park in Katsina, Malam Hadi Magaji, said the turnout of travellers from Katsina to destinations such as Kaduna and Kano has been poor this year.

He added that unlike previous years when the park usually ran out of vehicles due to heavy passenger traffic, the reverse is now the case.

He explained that the situation has forced the park management to adopt measures to assist commercial drivers.

“We had to come up with a new strategy of loading one vehicle at a time instead of separating buses from smaller vehicles. By doing that, commuters do not have to wait too long, although they no longer have the option of choosing between buses and smaller cars,” he said.

It was gathered that transport fares have also increased due to rising fuel prices. The fare from Katsina to Kano in smaller vehicles now ranges between N6,000 and N7,000, compared to the previous N4,000 to N5,000.

Bus fares now range between N4,000 and N5,000, up from N3,000 to N3,500.

A traveller, Hassan Musa, told our reporter that he had waited for almost two hours for a vehicle to be filled because of the low number of passengers.

“I have been waiting for almost two hours for this vehicle to get filled up. There are no passengers; people are not travelling this year. If it were before, vehicles would be leaving this park almost every hour,” he said.

He attributed the poor turnout to economic hardship, noting that the Sallah season involves significant expenses, including the purchase of rams.

An official of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) in Katsina State, Alhaji Shehu Shaibu, said the situation is almost normal whenever festive periods such as Sallah coincide with the rainy season.

 

Despite high fares, Sallah travel continues in Kano

Travel for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration is still ongoing in Kano despite the sharp increase in transport fares.

A visit to Dorayi Babba Motor Park, located at Rijiyar Zaki, showed that many people are still travelling, although the number is lower compared to previous Sallah periods.

Some passengers were seen waiting for long hours to get vehicles, while others decided to return home.

Daily Trust learnt that transport fares have increased across several routes. For instance, the fare from Kano to Zamfara State has risen from N7,000 to about N12,000.

Drivers also confirmed that fares have increased along the Bauchi and Jos routes.

Ahmad Abdallawi, a Kano resident who hails from Zamfara State, described the situation as difficult.

“Since around dawn, we have been here waiting for a vehicle, and the transport fare is very expensive. In the past, you could travel to Zamfara for N7,000, but now it has risen to N12,000, and even at that, there are no vehicles available,” he said.

Another passenger said an additional N3,000 has been added to fares from Kano to Sokoto and Kebbi states.

Passengers said the increase is excessive and is affecting their plans to travel for Sallah.

Drivers attributed the hike to the high cost of fuel and the difficulty of getting passengers for return trips, especially from states such as Kebbi and Zamfara.

Because of this, they said they had to raise fares to cover operational costs.

On the issue of passengers travelling on trailers, a union official at the motor park, Yusuf Isa, said the practice is not common at Dorayi Babba Motor Park.

He explained that even when passengers are unable to pay the complete fare, efforts are usually made to ensure they still reach their destinations.

Also speaking, a commercial driver, Abdulhadi Yahaya, said many drivers have parked their vehicles because of high fuel costs and difficulties securing return passengers.

He added that even when they manage to transport passengers, it is often difficult to make meaningful profit after the trip.

A union official at the motor park also said government-owned transport companies have not significantly increased fares, unlike private operators.

“Government-owned vehicles still maintain their usual fares, but the increase is coming from private transport operators. In many cases, passengers even look for drivers and offer them extra money to take them to their destinations,” he said.