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•Overbooking triggers fight at train station, fare to Abeokuta rises to N,2500
By Adewale Sanyaolu
There are strong indications that this year’s Sallah celebration will record low key outing due to the high cost of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol following Federal Government’s removal of subsidy.
Findings by Daily Sun across major motor parks in Oshodi, Iyana Ipaja, Ojota, Berger and Agege revealed a sharp rise of about 20 per cent in transport cost.
Some of the commuters expressed surprise at the astronomical rise in just two days.
A commuter at the Pen Cinema motor park in Agege, Mr. Wasiu Adetunji, said a ride in a saloon car to Ibadan which cost about N6,500 after the subsidy removal has spiked to N8,000 as at yesterday.
He said travelling with other four members of his family would cost him about N40,000.
The plight of Adetunji was almost the same for travellers across major parks in Lagos as many can no longer afford to travel in their private vehicle because the cost of fuelling same would be almost triple if they are to make the trip by public transportation.
Meanwhile, there was pandemonium at the Babatunde Raji Fashola Train station in Agege, yesterday, as passengers engaged in war of words over poor boarding arrangements by the Nigerian Railway Corporation. Some the passengers who spoke to Daily Sun in separate interviews said they may be forced to stand for the entire duration of the journey either to Abeokuta or Ibadan.
As at 3.56pm, the number of passengers waiting to board the 4pm train to Ibadan which will be calling at Abeokuta first before heading to Ibadan far outnumbered the seats available in the train.
One of the passengers, Eniola Salawu, said since she already has her ticket, any attempt to make her stand for the entire duration of the journey would be unacceptable.
She blamed the management of NRC for the shoddy arrangement, stressing they ought to have stopped the sale of tickets when they had reached their limit.
Another passenger who identified herself as Mrs Tijani, said the endless construction on the Lagos- Ibadan Expressway was responsible for surge in the number of passengers.
She said the fear of being trapped for hours in traffic left more commuters with the option of going by train ride.
Findings by Daily Sun revealed that the cost of taking a train ride in the wake of subsidy removal is still cheaper for commuters than travelling by road. A train ride to Ibadan in the first class cabin costs-N9000, business class-N6500 and standard class-N3600 while standing to Abeokuta costs N2,500.
