Thousands of holiday travelers heading to the South-East states faced severe disruptions on Sunday, finding themselves stranded at various motor parks in Anambra State.
This predicament arose as transportation fares skyrocketed, reaching an exorbitant increase of over 200 percent.
Transport operators, justifying their actions, explained in separate interviews with our correspondent that the surge in fares was a direct consequence of the steep rise in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) and the substantial influx of travelers at the different motor parks.
Our correspondent’s investigation revealed that many petrol stations in major cities such as Onitsha, Nnewi, and Awka, despite displaying N680 as the pump price, were selling the product to customers at rates ranging from N750 to N1,000 per litre, depending on the specific location. This discrepancy was attributed to the anticipated rise in customers during the festive season.
The ripple effect of these circumstances extended to the transportation sector, impacting both interstate and intra-state commuters who experienced the brunt of the increased fares.
For instance, on Sunday, at the Ezeiweka Motor Park in Onitsha, vehicles going to Aba were made to pay as much as N6,000 as against N2,500, while those going to Port Harcourt charged N7,000 as against N3,000 initially.
Also, at the Lagos and Asaba parks in Upper Iweka, Onitsha, vehicles going to Enugu charged as much as N5,000 as against N2,000, while those going to Owerri charged N3,500 as against N1,800, among others.
The situation was the same at major motor parks in Awka, Nnewi, and Ekwulobia, as most commuters remained stranded while some others muscled their way to board the buses to their various destinations.
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Commuters going to their various destinations within the communities also paid more, while those who could not afford the sudden increase were seen trekking to their various destinations.
This is just as most transport operators who spoke to our correspondent in separate interviews denied any knowledge of the 50 per cent slash in the price of transportation by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government announced a 50 per cent slash in the price of transportation from December 24, 2023, to January 4, 2024, to ease the burden on commuters.
Reacting to the development, one of the commercial transport operators at the Goodness and Mercy Motor Park in Upper Iweka, Onitsha, who identified himself as Chukwudi, said, “The increase in the fares is expected because we no longer buy petrol the same price we were buying it before. Now, the filling stations display the official price of N680 per litre on their pump, but we buy it for as high as N950 per litre.
“There are times we buy it up to N1,000 depending on the location and the time of the day. It has not been easy for us too. I am just praying for this Yuletide period to be over so that prices of things will return to normal. The suffering is just too much.
“We are not aware of the Federal Government’s 50 per cent reduction in the price of transportation, and there is no sign and impact as the fares keep increasing, and it’s not our fault. We have no choice but to increase the fares because of the situation at the moment. The Federal Government should extend their 50 per cent slash to all the motor parks and transporters at the park for the masses to feel the impact.”
A commuter at the Triangle in Nnewi, Grace Acho, said, “This suffering is just too much. I am travelling to Enugu and I am asked to pay almost N7,000 as against N2,500 just because this is the Yuletide period.
“I don’t know why our people always do this during the Yuletide. Christmas is a big celebration in the South-East and acts like this from the transport operators don’t go well for us. The South-East transporters should take a cue from their Northern counterparts who do not increase their fares during their own celebrations.”
