Xmas: Travellers Face Hardship

Commuter

FILE PHOTO: Commuters at Jibowu Bus-Stop, Lagos waiting to board buses to their destinations. PHOTO: OLATUNJI OBASA

By Simon Ateba, Paul Sanusi & Dedeigbo Ayo Deji

Commuters at Jibowu Bus-Stop, Lagos this morning waiting to board buses to their destinations. PHOTO: OLATUNJI OBASA

Commuters travelling to various parts of the country to celebrate the Christmas with their loved ones have lamented the hardship they faced before getting to  their destinations.

They told P.M.NEWS this morning that their problems started from the motor parks where they discovered that the fares have been increased by as much as 100  percent.

They also disclosed how they slept on the expressways following the traffic gridlock caused by bad roads and unusual large number of vehicles on the roads.  Some of them said they spent more days on the road than the usual number of days before getting to their destinations.

According to Adiele Obanor who arrived Lagos last night on a luxury bus from the East: “Government should do something urgently about the bad state of the  Ore-Benin expressway. Journey on that road is tortuous. We spent more than a day on the road for a journey that should not take more than four hours because  of the bad road.”

His wife, Cecilia, also narrated their harrowing experience. “We slept on the road because their was no movement at all. Some broken down vehicles compounded  the problem and vehicles have to make use of just one lane,” she said.

Another passenger who identified himself as Stanley, a trader at the Alaba International Market, told P.M.NEWS that he got to the Iyana-Ipaja Motor Park and  discovered that the fares had gone up.

“I have no choice but to pay it because I have to go and see my family,” he said as he hurriedly entered a Toyota bus.

Barely eight hours to Christmas, transport fares from Lagos to different parts of the country rose by more than 100 percent, a check by the News Agency of  Nigeria (NAN) also revealed.

NAN correspondents who visited some motor parks in Lagos report that commuters were complaining of high transport fares on various routes, especially to the  Eastern part of the country.

A commuter, Mr. Kingsley Nwokoro, told NAN at the Jibowu Park that transporters now charged N7,000 for a bus ride from Lagos to Enugu instead of the N3, 500  charged before the Christmas season.

“The price is too high. How do you expect somebody that earns N40,000 to take his family home. I came as early as 5.30 a.m. and I bought ticket for third  bus,” he said.

Mr. Christopher Obi, another commuter, said that he could not afford the fare.

“I cannot afford N7,000, the price is outrageous and my sister’s wedding is on Dec. 25. I have to go to Ijebu-Ode or Shagamu toll gate to wait for an  attachment on a luxury bus,” he said.

Mrs. Nkechi Nnoli said that she slept at the Peace Motor Park at Ojuelegba to enable her get a cheap bus ticket.

“My children and I have to sleep at the park since it’s the only bus that is cheap,” she said.

At Ekene Dili Chukwu luxury bus terminus, NAN learnt that all bus tickets had been sold out until Friday before new bookings would begin.

Hundreds of passengers were seen this morning at Ojota, Yaba, Jibowu, Oshodi, Iyana Ipaja and Berger motor parks waiting to board vehicles to their towns.  The parks were jampacked with commuters carrying their luggage and unable to board a bus.

Long queues of travellers were noticed at Jibowu waiting to board luxury buses that were not available. Some of them told our correspondent that they would  move to Orile and Mile 2 to board buses, if they cannot get any at Jibowu.

Some of the passengers said they were ready to pay the high fares because they are desperate to celebrate the Christmas in their home towns.

The General Aviation Terminal, GAT and the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 in Lagos were filled to capacity as air travellers stormed the airport for their  Christmas holiday trips.

Most of the flights were fully booked especially those travelling to the Eastern and Northern parts of the country.

There were, however, a few available seats for those heading to the Northern parts of the country.

The air tickets that used to cost N16,000 now goes for N19,000 because of the increase in air travellers.

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