Holiday makers traveling to the eastern part of Nigeria have expressed deep concern over the sharp hike in fares by transporters.
They also decried 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.
A cross-section of the people said in separate interviews that they spend longer on the road than normal due to the multiple checkpoints. Also, the drivers alleged extortion by the operatives who man the checkpoints.
A commercial vehicle driver, 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, Ugochukwu Okeiyi, who plies the Owerri-Umuahia route, said the ongoing reconstruction of the road by the federal government was impeding smooth vehicular movement, especially with more vehicles on the road during the yuletide celebration.
Mr Okeiyi said security operatives at checkpoints extorted drivers.
“The money we spend in settling the military and police at checkpoints is transferred to passengers; hence the fare increase,” he said.
Travellers from Owerri to Enugu and Port Harcourt also complained about the numerous road checkpoints and the resultant delays.
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, 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,” Mr Okeke said.
Other travellers bemoaned the hike in fares, especially from Owerri to Lagos and Abuja.
Transport companies, such as Peace Mass Transit and ABC, charge 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 N5,500 and N17,300 for Hiace and Sienna buses from Owerri to Port Harcourt, respectively. Fares from Owerri to Aba also increased from N2,500 to N3,000, while Owerri to Umuahia increased from N3,000 to N4,000 by Hiace and Sienna buses.
Some other prospective holidaymakers described the situation as frustrating and “no longer acceptable to the masses.” They blamed the drivers for the hike, saying that the fare hike was unjustified, given the marginal cut in the price of petrol. NAN
