By Vivian Onyebukwa
With few days to Christmas, cost of transportation has continued to soar. A visit to some inter-state transport companies in and around Lagos revealed that transportation cost from Lagos to different parts of the country, have nearly doubled compared to last year.
At the time Saturday Sun made inquiries at Abia Voyage Limited, a transport company located at Okota Road, Lagos, on Wednesday, the company said charged passengers N50,000 from Lagos to Owerri, and N45,000 from Lagos to Onitsha.
Also, Lagos to Owerri by God is Good Transport Company was N55,900, Umuahia, N53,950, while Lagos to Onitsha was N51,050.
At KTL Nig, Ltd another transport company on Okota Road, passengers going from Lagos to Umuahia paid N55,000, Lagos to Owerri, N50,000, while Lagos to Awka and Nnewi paid N50,000 respectively.
Lagos to Bayelsa State and Port Harcourt was N58,500 by Divine Express International Transport. At Okeyson Motor on Okota Road, Lagos to Aba was N51,500, and Lagos to Owerri, N50,000.
A visit to Royal Mass Transit on Okota road, revealed that the company charged N42,000 from Lagos to Enugu on Wednesday.
Also, one of the leading transport companies in Nigeria, GUO Transport charged N57,000 from Lagos to Abakaliki, while Lagos to Enugu was N68,000 by Toyota Sienna.
It was also noted that some of the buses going to places like Ekwulobia in Anambra State, had been fully booked for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Lagos to Abuja on Wednesday cost N62,100. Again, passengers going from Lagos to Anara, Imo State by Tuesday next week will be made to pay N56,100, and Owerri, N57,100.
Those who intend to go by night bus are expected to pay lower. Enugu by night bus with GUO transport is N48,000. At Eddyson Multi Dynamics, passengers going to Owerri paid N41,500, PH, N48,000 as at Wednesday 18th, 2024.
Onealpa Transport, as at the time of this inquiry on Wednesday, charged passengers going from Lagos to Onitsha and Owerri N32,500. One of the staff stated that the price would be N42,500 by the following day, and will continue to increase till next week.
Imo Transport Company (ITC) said they charged passengers going from Lagos to Onitsha, Owerri N40,000 on Wednesday.
Transportation fares to some of the South West States close to Lagos were usually less expensive before now. For instance, Ibadan, Ilorin, and Osogbo, which cost between N1,500 and N4,500 last year, now goes for between N3,000 for Ibadan, and N7,500 for Osogbo and Ilorin, depending on the type of bus.
Many people have wondered why transportation costs are so exorbitant this season. But a transporter attributed it to the high cost of maintenance of the vehicles, as well as the high cost of petroleum and diesel products. He blamed the state of economy, noting that when the economy is bad, it affects everything.
A staff of the ITC who spoke anonymously stated that the price of transportation would increase by Tuesday December 24, but prayed that the price does not go up. “Usually it goes up. We are not happy when the cost goes up. It is not our fault as some people would always blame the Igbo transporters. It is not what they think. You should also consider the cost of vehicle maintenance. What if on the way the vehicle breaks down. What about fuel consumption. One third of the transport fare collected goes to the driver for fuelling,” he said.
Explaining further, he said: “It is higher during this period because the vehicle that conveys passengers to the East usually comes back to Lagos empty. This is because it is difficult to have passengers coming to Lagos at that period. So the fees we charge while conveying passengers to the East are also meant to cover the cost of bringing the vehicle back to Lagos which is usually empty.”
An Imo State indigene, Eugene Mmeka stated why it is compulsory for Igbos to travel during Christmas. He said, “During this period we usually have a lot of activities, including traditional weddings and burial ceremonies. However, the high cost of transportation is definitely going to stop some people from travelling this Christmas.”
Comrade Anozie Emeka, a human rights activist, decried the state of the economy which he attributed to the high cost of transportation. However, he was optimistic that the situation could not stop him from travelling to the East for Christmas. According to him, the main problem working against the Igbos this Christmas is insecurity. He said: “Even when one managed to pay the transport fare, another problem is leaving on time but arriving very late with road blocks by security agents trying to check activities of criminals.”
However, the Federal Government has put some measures in place to cushion the effect of cost of transportation this Christmas by slashing transport fares by 50 per cent and approving free rides for commuters on all train services during the Yuletide. The transportation subsidy takes effect from December 21, 2023 to January 4th, 2024.