Why we hike fares during Christmas------ Transporters

Emeka Ibemere

It’s the trip of a lifetime. Christmas travelers with cash to spare are making their trips to their different states as the nativity event took place today.

For the keen travelers for the yearly event, who has always longed to visit their states the incredible hefty fare hikes ticks them all off the list- but the journey must be made.

Ask the luxury bus and small bus owners, its business all through.

Inter-state buses have increased their fares, in some cases by more than double, as they prepare for increased business in the traditionally busy Christmas period.

With schools and a number of companies closing, there is usually brisk business by both holiday makers and businesses, and bus operators are keen to take advantage.

A snap survey by our Correspondent revealed that some buses which ply the Lagos-East, South-South and from the Northern part of the country to the Southern routes showed that some transporters had already increased fares, although others were yet to do so.

Young Shall Grow staff at Cele Bus Stop told our correspondent that the company was going to increase its fares from N6000, as it is now to N8000 from December 24 to 31, 2014 for a one way ticket to east.

A trip which was N3, 500 as at November ending is presently charged at N6, 000, N7, 000 and N5,000, , respectively.

A ticketing salesperson at one of the bus company offices in Ikotun said the new fares are as a result of the mass movement of people down-east and south-south because of the festival period.

"The fares will be increased more, but I am not yet aware what the charge will be," she quipped. “People are even booking in advance with anticipation that the fares are going to be increased more”.

A trip from Lagos to Onitsha now cost as high as N7, 000 and from Lagos to Cross River State is put at N8, 000. Ordinarily, it cost as low as N3, 500.

 Investigation by our correspondent shows that many families are also taking their wards home for fear of the next election, which comes in February.

Mr Okafor Adindu, a tricycle operator who lives at N0 5 Bayo Street Abaranje Road by Custom Bus stop, told this reporter that no matter the cost of transport fare, he must surely take his family down to Orlu, in Imo State, because of the election.

Mrs. Akpan Mary, a factory worker at Aswani is bemoaning her fate in raising transport fare down to Akwa-Ibom State due to hire increase in fares.

Mary would be travelling alone without her eight-size family apparently because of the fares to cater all the family. And if she was to go with all of them, a paltry budget of N50, 000 would be expended on transport alone unlike when it was N3, 500, fares.

Ikechukwu Duru, a student said he has cancelled his trip till January 7, when transport fare to East always kisses dust because according to him by that time, coming back to Lagos State would be like a peak period while fares going to East as of that time drops as low as anything. Investigation also revealed that fares to Lagos from the East or South-South now or travelling to the Northern part of Nigeria, is now cheap because much people are not making trips to Lagos State or to the North. The influx is downwards and that is why the charges are high. 

Yesterday, transporters capitalized on the closure of schools in Lagos State and in last minutes rush by travelling Christmas holiday makers hike their fares. Fares from Lagos to Okene, Kogi State is now N6000 as against N800 previously charged for the trip. Defending the hike in fares, Chijioke Akabundu said the hike was a result of bad road leading to eastern part of Nigeria, which is in a deplorable situation.

However, the Chairman of Chisco Transport Ltd., Chief Chidi Anyanegbu, was reported to have cried to the Federal Government concerning the multiple taxation levied transport operators in Nigeria.

He was reported to have told the Federal Government to reduce the double taxation imposed on transport operators in the country.

Anyanegbu, made the call in Lagos, said that multiple-taxation was hitting transporters hard and killing the transport sector.

It was also reported that Commercial transport operators are finding it difficult to break even as they have to pay interest on loans borrowed from banks to purchase the buses.

It was gathered that they pay over 23 different taxes and it is affecting their businesses. This is responsible for the frequent hike in transport fares.

“The transport business is a business that touches the masses and most of the beneficiaries are the less-privileged and civil servants who earn meagre incomes,’’ Anyanegbu said.

Anyanegbu said that the value and impact of the transport sector on the nation’s economy and the masses could not be over-emphasised.

It was also gathered that import duties charged on buses used for mass transportation are enormous and when transporters pay these charges, it is the passengers that bear the burden through fare hikes.

Therefore, it behoves on the government to look into these challenges by acknowledging that transporters are solving one of the problems facing the masses.

“The government must also realise that transport operators are adding value to the economy by providing employment opportunities to many Nigerians”, Anyanegbu said.

“The profit accruing to operators of this business is very low when compared to what the oil companies and multi-national organisations are making”.

Anyanegbu also urged the National Assembly to set up a trust fund that could grant low-interest loans to transporters in the country.

He also urged the federal and State Governments to rehabilitate their roads, which he said, were in deplorable conditions.

“We spend so much money on maintenance of our vehicles owing to the deplorable state of most roads,’’ he lamented.