Commuters in Imo and Abia states travelling for the Christmas celebration and other private purposes have cried out over the astronomical hike in fares by transporters.
They also bemoaned the longer travelling time and stress occasioned by the “numerous” military and police checkpoints mounted at close range on the various routes in the South-East states. The commuter drivers alleged extortion by operatives who man the checkpoints.
A commercial vehicle driver, Mr Charles Agwulonu, who plies the Owerri-Aba route, lamented that the trip, which ought to last for 40 minutes now takes about two hours due to avoidable delays at checkpoints.
Also, Mr. Ugochukwu Okeiyi, who operates on the Owerri-Umuahia route, said the ongoing reconstruction of the road by the Federal Government was impeding vehicular movement, especially with more vehicles on the road during the Yuletide celebration.
Okeiyi said the money expended at checkpoints “to settle” military and police at checkpoints is transferred to passengers, hence the fare increase.
Travellers from Owerri to Enugu and Port Harcourt also complained about the numerous checkpoints and the resultant delays.
Mrs. Chinwendu Uju said the development exposes commuters to avoidable risks and inhuman treatment as passengers were sometimes made to disembark from their vehicles and trek across military checkpoints.
A traveller, Mr. Chukwudi Okeke, said that checkpoints had become “money spinners” for operatives rather than a security measure to check the activities of criminal elements.
“Rarely do these operatives at checkpoints stop crime from happening because even the criminal elements also drop money and pass and go ahead to execute their operations,” Okeke claimed.
Other travellers bemoaned the hike in fares, especially from Owerri to Lagos and Abuja. Transport companies charge as high as between N23,000 and N25,000 from Owerri to Lagos and between N35,000 and N38,000 from Owerri to Abuja.
Also, commuters now pay as much as between N5,500 and N17,300 by Hiace and Sienna buses from Owerri to Port Harcourt, respectively.
Fares from Owerri to Aba also went up from N2,500 to N3,000, while Owerri to Umuahia also increased from N3,000 to N4,000 by Hiace and Sienna buses.
In Abia, commuters and commercial vehicle drivers also go through similar experiences, in terms of the fare hikes and multiple military and police checkpoints that delay vehicular movements.
A driver, Sunday Emetuh, who plies Umuahia-Ohafia route, said that their major problem was the deplorable condition of the road, currently undergoing rehabilitation by the State Government.
Emetuh said because of the dilapidation of the road, drivers go to Ohafia through Bende Road, which is also being fixed by the Federal Government.
He regretted that the rehabilitation work had suffered setbacks due to its “politicisation” by some politicians from the area. He blamed last Sunday’s fatal accident at Mmuri end of the road, which claimed eight lives, on the deplorable condition of the road.
“For now, we have no other problem because we are not disturbed by the army or police on the route,” Emetuh said.
For Theophilus Onyeze, a driver on the Umuahia-Owerri route, the “mode of operation” at the military checkpoints is causing long delays, ranging from 30 minutes to one hour at a particular spot. “The Joint Security Team on our road, when they see young men, they bring them out of the vehicle and this causes delays, lasting between 30 minutes and about two hours.”
A commuter, Ndubuisi Iheme, said the problem they face was the fare hike from Umuahia to Aba.
He said while the fare had been N1,500 since early November, the long Coaster buses increased it to N2,000 for a 45-minutes journey.
He also said the presence of Federal Road Safety Corps, the Army and Police delays vehicular movement and increases travelling time.
“These operatives at checkpoints park stubborn drivers in one spot, causing unnecessary hold up that stretches long distances, “until the drivers do something.”
A civil servant in Umuahia, Mr Promise Kanu, said the hike in fares resulted in the increase in the cost of goods and services. He said he paid N1,700 to Aba from Umuahia as against N1,500 charged last week.
He said the development had worsened the economic hardship, adding that most traders in Umuahia usually source their wares from Aba.
According to him, the hike in fares will naturally reflect in the cost of goods and services.
Kanu called on the government at all levels to provide interventions that would cushion the effect of general increase in the cost of living.
Another resident, Mr Ibeabuchi Jerry-Gab, said that he feared that many people might not be able to travel to their villages for Christmas. “I travelled to Arochukwu from Umuahia by bus at N7,000, as against between N4,000 and N5,000.”
Jerry-Gab added that some prospective travellers got stranded at the park, when they realised that their budgets were not enough for their trip.
He appealed to the government to provide buses to commute passengers at subsidised rates during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Jerry-Gab also appealed to the Federal Government to consider restoring fuel subsidy to further drive down the cost of living in the country.
Notwithstanding the fare hike, many people were seen at different parks in Umuahia ready to make the Christmas travel.
At the Peace Mass Transit Park, Umuwaya Road, many prospective travellers were seen getting prepared to embark on their journey. Umuahia to Onitsha attracted N5,600 fare, and N6,600 to Asaba as against N4 500 and N5,500 previous fares, respectively.
Umuahia to Enugu and Lagos is now N5,600 and N26,000, respectively.
An Enugu-bound passenger, Mr. Greg Orji, said it had become difficult for people to travel with their families at Christmas because of the exorbitant fares.
“Of course, transport fares are high but people will still have to travel to celebrate Christmas but many may not go with their families. I think the drivers are not helping matters even when the price of fuel has reduced a bit.”
But a driver, Mr. Nathaniel Okoye, who plies Umuahia-Onitsha and Enugu routes, attributed the high fares to the increase in fuel price since the subsidy removal.
“The drivers should not be blamed for the high fares because we too are feeling the pain. Nothing much was reduced in the pump price, because we were buying a litre between N1,100 and N1,120 before and now between N1,070 and N1,080.”
He argued that the marginal price reduction was insignificant to force down transport fares.