Passengers travelling to various destinations from Abuja have lamented the soaring cost of transport fares during Easter.

They said the hike in transport fares would hinder many Christians from travelling to see their loved ones as they could not afford the charges.

The passengers made their complaints in separate interviews with journalists in Abuja.

Adedayo Olorunshola, a public servant going to Lagos from Area One Park, expressed concern over transport service charges during the festive period compared to what she paid from Lagos on January 27.

She said she paid N27,000 to return from Lagos on an 18-seater bus, but now N45,000 is paid to go to Lagos from Abuja by the same type of bus.

A paint seller, Musa Ibrahim, who boarded a car going to Kano with N10,000, blamed commercial drivers waiting for the festive season to exploit commuters.

“Last time I went to Kano in February, it was 7,500. I have observed transport fares typically surge during Easter due to high demand, with prices rising by 20 to 30 per cent compared to regular periods.

“However, some years witnessed low passenger turnout, attributing it to economic factors, with many people opting to celebrate Easter with limited resources rather than travelling,“ he said.

Isa Kato, a union member at Area One Park, said before Easter, the transport fare from Abuja to Akwa Ibom was N38,000, but now N55,000.

Ms Kato said, “Abuja to Makurdi before it was N5,300 but now N8,500.

A couple at Jabi Park, Precious Ebenezer and Mary Ebenezer, attributed the hike in transport fares to rising fuel prices, urging the federal government to intensify efforts to reduce the fuel price.

The couple, who said the petrol price was still high at N950, advised that a reasonable fuel price reduction would drastically reduce the transport charges, even at the festive celebration.

“The price of petrol is still high. This also contributes to increased transportation costs, although transport companies may absorb some of these costs to maintain affordability.

“The government`s initiative during the 2024 Christmas season, which halved fares for travellers on 144 routes, was commendable. Nothing bad if the government can do this during other festive celebrations like Easter as palliatives,” they said.

Taiwo Osobu, chairman of Intercity Bus, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Jabi Park, said intercity bus fares varied depending on the routes, types of vehicles and their amenities.

According to him, the Abuja to Lagos fare ranges from N27,000 to N57,000 for a 16-seater bus. Abuja to Enugu bus fare costs between N37,000 and N60,000 for a seven-seater space.

He affirmed that transport companies considered fuel costs, demand, and passengers’ comfort when fixing the fares.

Tunde Olaifa, a medical practitioner, expressed dissatisfaction with the increase in transport fares at Gwagwalada Park.

“I paid N20,000 as transport charge to board a Siena vehicle from Ile-Ife, Osun state to Abuja a month ago, and I have just paid N30,000 as fare to return,” Mr Olaifa said.

Anita Ogene, a businesswoman, described the N22,000 she paid to board a bus going to Auchi in Edo as outrageous when compared with previous travelling experiences.

Ms Ogene said that many of her friends preferred calling to greet their loved ones as the transport fare was seemingly unbearable during Easter.

Mustapher Saliu, the chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Gwagwalada Chapter, said his association still maintained the fares it charged commuters before and during the Easter period.

According to Mr Saliu, the impact of the Easter celebration does not affect our previous charges at the park.

“There is no change in price as we were carrying before. We decided to maintain the price and manage our vehicles, considering we are all Nigerians. We don’t go to the North. We go South-West and East. Like we did before, drivers collected N25,000 from Benin passengers and N22,000 from Auch passengers.

“So, Lagos bus is collecting N17,000 or N18,000 from passengers, Siena is carrying N30,000, among others. We have stable prices since January,“ he said.

Mr Saliu appealed to federal and state governments to intensify efforts in repairing bad roads as the hoodlums used the avenue to attack their vehicles in transit.

He said many drivers experienced kidnappers and armed robbers’ attacks on Lokoja to Akure road due to bad roads.

They often attack our motors and do bad things to our passengers. So, the road is a major challenge for us. If the road is good, the bad people can’t stand on the main road and stop the vehicles. We still appeal to the government. Also, the bad roads do spoil our vehicles. Motor spare parts are costly and unbearable now. We beg the government to help us,” he said. 

(NAN)