Many Nigerians, initially thrilled by the Federal Government’s announcement of a 50% reduction in inter-state transport fares and complimentary train rides from December 21 to January 4, found themselves disheartened as holiday travelers continued to pay elevated prices at various parks.
In an effort to tackle the escalating cost of living during the Yuletide season, the Presidency unveiled a list of companies participating in the 50% fare reduction, approved by President Bola Tinubu starting on December 21.
The removal of the fuel subsidy had contributed to a surge in transportation costs, particularly impacting the majority of the population reliant on road travel.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, identified five transport companies involved in the initiative: GIG (God is Good), Chisco Transport, Young Shall Grow, God Bless Ezenwata, and Area Motor.
Additionally, the Presidency released a document outlining 28 routes covered by the participating buses. These routes include Lagos-Kano, Lagos-Abuja, Lagos-Kaduna-Zaria, Lagos-Jos, Lagos-Enugu, Lagos-Onitsha, Lagos-Owerri, Lagos-Aba, Lagos-Abakaliki, Lagos-Nsukka, Lagos-Uyo, Lagos-Port-Harcourt, Onitsha-Kano, and Onitsha-Lagos, among others.
But checks yesterday revealed that the 50 per cent is yet to take-off. Yesterday, GIG was still charging N50,500 to Onitsha, GUO Transport was collecting N48,000, Chisco Transport N49,000, while Ifesinachi Transport was charging N32,000 to Onitsha.
An employee of Chisco Transport said that they were invited to a meeting where the price slash was discussed but they were yet to receive any financial help from the government in that regard.
He said: “We attended the meeting, but we are yet to receive anything from the government to show their seriousness, so we are still collecting the full price till fu rther notice.”
He added: “We are yet to get any go ahead from the management and more so, the people who used our buses today are those who have booked and paid many days ago.”
A cashier in GIG said the half price slash only took effect in their Lagos Ajah park.
An infuriated staff of Ifesinachi Transport asked if the Federal Government has availed subsidised fuel or maintenance cost to demand rebate fares in return.
He said: “Why are they talking about slashing prices when they have not extended any financial help to us? If they are serious, they should bring down the price of fuel and see how flat the price will fall.”
One passenger at GUO motors, Mrs Oby Umenwa, stated notwithstanding the cheering news, she was prepared to pay the full fare as she didn’t trust the government.
A GIG passenger, Fatai Balogun, wondered why the people took the Nigerian government seriously. He said: “I am going to Onitsha to buy my goods. I have paid for my transport fare and that’s all. I didn’t see the government before making the preparations and I am not hoping for anything. In fact, I am surprised that people still take the Nigerian government seriously.”
Also, GIG, which is one of the transport firms selected for the scheme, is yet to reduce the price for online booking on their official website. The fares for inter-states journeys were still higher than what was paid for similar trips a few weeks ago.
For instance, Abuja to Lagos, which was about N25,000 a few weeks ago, was pegged at N52,000 on Thursday. The fare for a journey from Lagos to Imo State was also pegged at N42,300 by the same firm on its official website. The company also fixed N45,000 as the fare for a trip from Lagos to Rivers State.
GIG via its social media page explained that the only terminals they had started the initiative were Jibowu and Ajah in Lagos, revealing that “other terminals would be announced in the coming days.”
There was no word from the four other firms in the initiative as compliance checks one Chisco Transport, Young Shall Grow, God Bless Ezenwata and Area Motor were hampered by their poor online presence. For instance, Chisco Transport’s online booking site only accommodates trips from Lagos to neighbouring West African countries such as Ghana and Togo.
