…No respite for travellers as neither air nor road is cheap
Since December 1, the jingle bell has been ringing to remind many that it is festive season and time to, instead of celebrating, spend unnecessarily due to the arbitrary hikes in the prices of almost everything.
As the bell rings daily to announce the season, so also prices of things increase daily until the New Year.
Of course, one of the worst hit is transportation, with a traditional hike in fares.
While there has not been an official increase in the fuel pump price in the last three to four months, transport fares have gone up between 100 to 200 percent since the dawn of the month of December, especially in Lagos.
Though many commuters said it is expected and has been traditional during festive season for a long time now, the reality is that the hike is subjecting many to unnecessary expenditure and suffering.
“Transporters are saying that this is their season to make money and recover from losses across the year, but the fare hike is wrong and unnecessary. Government should check it for the first time. It is swindling and criminal,” Janet Onyeche, a passenger at Obalende, told BDSunday.
But the hike is more obvious in the interstate routes, where it is expected to reach 400 percent between December 22nd and 25th.
Already, passengers on the interstate route have been witnessing 50 percent hike in fares since December 1, and as at yesterday December 16th, BDSunday survey revealed that the hike was slightly above 50 percent and will reach 100 percent increment from December 18th with schools closed and families set for early travel to avert paying more on fares.
The fare hike is expected to peak at between 300 to 400 percent this year.
It means that Nigerians are going to pay up to N75,000 on routes they paid N25,000 before the festive season fare hike.
“In this year’s festive rush, passengers will pay over N50,000 from Lagos to visit the East and Abuja. They are our farthest routes and fuel is too expensive except they want us to close shop,” Edwin Egbede, a driver, said at Libra Motors Okota.
Ovie Ukhie, an administrative staff of a leading interstate transport company at Jibowu, Yaba, Lagos, decried that passengers are going to witness what may be the highest fare hike in recent time because of the high cost of operation.
Considering the state of the economy and low purchasing power, transport fares, according to Ukhie, should not be increased unnecessarily. “But if we don’t do that, we will shut down because transportation business is capital intensive and new Hiace buses have quadrupled in price due to the stress of importation and the exchange issues.”
Explaining further the rationale for the hike, Ukhie said, “We pay a lot of taxes across the states we operate in and out. Fuel is high, and spare parts are very expensive and do not last too.
“The festive season is the period to recover some of the losses we incurred across the passing year and to repay loans used in buying new buses,” he said.
For many passengers, there is no justification for the arbitrary hike in fare during festive season, rather stability of fare to appreciate passengers for their patronage over the passing year.
“I have been using God Is Good Motors since my undergraduate years and I am satisfied with their services. I am travelling on December 21st and I couldn’t book because prices of fares are increasing daily. It is sad and there is no appreciation for loyalty, we keep paying what the market is offering.
“There are no cheaper alternatives during the festive season, all the fares have gone up. I might pay as much as N45,000 to Port Harcourt, I was told by my contact there,” Emelia Chinwo lamented.
Chinwo, an auditor with a pharmaceutical company, would love to fly into Port Harcourt, but airfares are unimaginably high.
“I have huge financial obligations and cannot pay N400,000 return ticket to Port Harcourt,” she lamented.
Truely, there are no cheap flights on Nigeria’s domestic routes and even booking ahead to save cost, seems not working anymore.
Ajoke Dimeji, a senior hotel executive, who flies in from Abuja every weekend to see her family in Lagos, had to stop in October due to very high airfare.
Sadly, many who wish to fly may not because of the arbitrary hike in airfare by domestic carriers ahead of the festive season. At present, return ticket on a local route goes between N300,000 to N400,000, with rumour of an airline increasing fares to Eastern airports to N500,000 return ticket this festive season.
“I learnt that the return ticket on Air Peace is half a million now and other airlines are adjusting too. But this is wrong and can only happen in Nigeria. The government should stop arbitrary hikes in fares. We know that aviation fuel is high, but sudden hike is not proper,” Dimeji lamented.
Her concern is that the roads are bad coupled with stress and rising insecurity.
“So many people who must travel for important reasons this festive season and who do not have enough money to fly may be putting their lives at risk, travelling by road.
“If airfares are stable and considerable, many Nigerians will not travel by road at least for status symbols and Facebook poses,” she said.
Lovelyn Musa, a senior banker and mother of three, decried that the situation will result in many calling off travels for the festive season even when it is necessary to travel.
“I am from Ugheli, married to a Kaduna man and we are based in Lagos. Every Christmas we try to visit both sides of our roots and flight makes it easier. This year, nobody is travelling because of the high airfares, insecurity and also the fact that family members prefer you sending them money if you cannot visit. It is sad and negatively impacting family reunions. Imagine a return flight to Accra being cheaper than fares on our local routes,” she decried further.
With no road or flight option, Jeremiah Okwoh, a business executive, is urging families to rest at home and enjoy whatever their lean pocket can afford.
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“Our fellow Nigerians are increasing the suffering in the land with their arbitrary hike in transport fares, denying families the joy of travelling for reunion. It is greed. But we can stop them, why the festive rush, home is where you find peace, travelling is when it is very necessary now, let’s pull back a little for ourselves. We can travel some other time and not this festive season,” he insisted.
In the same vein, Musa, whose last child graduated this year, is reminding parents that January is usually tough and that it is better to save for January than to spend it all travelling this festive season.
“The transport companies will smile to the banks at the end, while their customers will feel the impact in their lean pockets. We can meet over zoom, do video or conference calls and save ourselves from the stress, risk and expenses of travelling this festive season,” she said.
It is also very expensive and stressful to travel in one’s private car during this period.
“You need to service your car, which is very expensive now. You will have to keep good money to refuel your car, eat, pay ‘tithe’ on the road and most importantly drive very cautiously. Not many want to do that considering the insecurity and risks on our highways today,” Afam Ukeh, a lawyer, said.
