Travelers are contending with high transport fares as they begin to return to their bases ahead of full resumption of business on Monday following the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Despite the free train ride and 50 per cent discount on bus fares offered by the federal government for travellers to and from different parts of the country and the slash in fuel prices by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Dangote Refinery in the spirit of the period, travellers are made to pay through the nose by private road transport operators.

Our correspondents report that intra city transport fares are also still high.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Adeleye Adeoye told The Nation yesterday that the Federal Government’s initiative was a huge success.

Travellers accused road transport operators of deliberately making life tough for commuters who must find the money to go back to their bases.

Many of those who travelled to the South East from Lagos and the North in particular have had to resort to night bus for their return trip to save cost.

This is particularly so at Milverton, Aba which is a terminal for major commercial transport companies.

For instance, Aba to Abuja by Sienna car which normally costs N35,000 now costs N50,000, while Abuja by Hummer bus now hovers between N 35,000 and N60,000 from N25,000.

Passengers from Aba to Lagos pay between N55,000 and N57,000 while night bus is N30,500 and N60,000 to Abuja.

Lagos to Aba before Christmas was N36,500 per head.

Sources at the park said the fares would even increase by next week when more holiday makers are expected to return to their businesses.

Inter-state fares are not better with travellers paying N4,000 from Aba to Uturu as against the usual N3,000, while journeys to Onitsha and Nnewi cost N 6,000 from N 5,000.

A mini bus trip from Ebonyi was N30,700 as of yesterday and between N20,000 andN23,000 for luxury buses.

A road trip from Asaba, the Delta State capital to Warri, its commercial nerve centre, has skyrocketed to N10,500 from between N5,000 andN6,000.

At Koka junction in Asaba, Delta Line charges N8,500 from Asaba to Warri whileAgofure Transport Company charges N8,500 for a similartrip to Warri.

Asaba to Benin is now N8,000 from N7,000.

A trip to Owerrifrom Asaba costs N8,000 up from N4,000, while fares from Asaba to Akwa, Anambra state capital costs N2,500 from N1,000.

The situation is not different in Kano where a trip from the Ungwan Uku Motor Park to Lagos now costs between N25,000 and N30,000from N20,000.

From the Sambisa Park in the same city, a trip to Lagos is N 35,000.

Kano to Dutse, Jigawa State which used to range between N2,000 and N2,500 has gone up to N3,000 while Kano to Katsina is now N4,000 from N3,000.

Kano to Abuja is between N13,000 and N15,000 from N8,000 to N10,000 before.

Kano to Akure was N25,000 before Christmas but is now N30,000 while Kano to Port Harcourt has risen from N28,000 to N32,000.

At the luxury bus park, Sambisa, Kano to Onitsha has increased from N 33,500 to N 50,500.

A manager in one of the bus companies told The Nation that the increase in fares is caused by several factors, one of which is the amount of time spent on each trip.

He cited Kano to Onitsha which he said takes approximately 11 hours but which could now take additional four to five hours owing to traffic congestion along the road and alleged extortion of drivers by law enforcement agents.

Fuel price reduction not felt in Katsina

Public transport operators in Katsina said they are not encouraged by the long queues of motorists at the few NNPC retail outlets in the city.

Consequently, fares for intra state and inter-state trips remain high.

Abubakar Abdullahi, a transport operator at NARTO and Sabo Tasha motor parks in Katsina told The Nation that commercial drivers could not afford to go and waste precious time on queues to buy fuel.

A Katsina resident from the Enugu State, Mr. Onyemechi Okafor, said hestayed back in Katsina to celebrate Christmas with his family because of the high cost of transport

“From Katsina to Enugu is N60,000 per head, then multiply it by fourgoing alone. You will agree with me that travelling this time around is expensive,” he said.

Plateau records drop in fares

It is a different story in Jos, the Plateau State capital with fares for many routes dropping.

For instance, Hummer bus fare from Jos to Lagos is now N30,000 from N40,000; same for Josto Port-Harcourtwhile Jos toOnitsha is N35,000 from N45,000.

A manager in one of the bus companies said the drop in price was as a result of the drop in fuel price.

He said: “Immediately the federal government announced the drop in petrol price, our oga, instructed us to follow suit by reducing transport fare. As you can see today, we have high patronage against when the price was high.”

Transport fares remain generally unchanged in Niger State, Kwara and Ogun states.

Free train ride a success says transportation ministry

Appraising the free train ride and the 50 per cent discount road transport fare offered travellers by the federal government during the holidays, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Adeleye Adeoye, said the initiative was a huge success.

He said such was the story of the initiative that beneficiaries asked for more.

Speaking to The Nation yesterday by phone, Mr. Adeoye said: “The President approved and directed that starting from 20th of December to 5th of January 2025, people who want to travel by train should be allowed to travel free of charge, So, the train service has been free from the 20th of December last year to date. We have been delivering passengers across all the corridors that we have. That is from Abuja-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan, Port Harcourt-Aba, Itakpe to Warri, and within Lagos, we have, Lagos Main Mass Transit.

“Then we are also carrying passengers from the state capitals to Abuja and similarly, from Lagos to all the state capitals. And we are carrying passengers from all the state capitals to Lagos and Abuja. We are partnering with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), National Association of Road Transport Operators (NARTO), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Association of Luxury Buses Owners of Nigeria (ALBON) and God is Good Motors (GIGM).

“The operators provided some buses and in addition to their buses, the president also provided CNG buses to them. The move is aimed at making them operate at a reduced cost because CNG is cheaper than PMS or diesel and also to support the transport sector by providing those buses to the operators.

“We have witnessed a large turnout of passengers in the rail sector. Many times, we were not able to carry all the passengers, especially along the Abuja-Kaduna and the Lagos-Ibadan corridor. So, it shows that Nigerians are actually interested in going by rail.

“So, the turnout has been fantastic for the rail. But for the road, the number we were expecting to turn up at Eagle Square in Abuja was relatively okay, but we expect more people to turn up. We are hoping that now that people are going to resume work, we are going to have a surge. Some will be returning to Abuja and Lagos. People were moving out to the various state locations but we are expecting the reverse this time around. I hope that many people will be coming back to their various stations. We have a few days left, and we are expecting a surge. We have buses on the ground that are just there waiting for passengers. So, we are prepared.”

On the call for an extension of the initiative, the Perm Sec said: “People have mentioned it, and I have transmitted that information to the minister. But you know the final approval has to do with the president. But you know, some of these things have to do with the administrative process because even though it is 50 per cent free, the federal government has to pay the operators the balance of 50 per cent.

“Even the train, we have to pay them the full cost of those passengers because they have to buy diesel and maintain their facilities. So, we have to go through an administrative process to get approval and factor in how much it would cost again if we extend.

“The minister is already working on that request and if we get approval before Sunday, then it will be announced to the public. So, if we can get the nod of the President before Sunday, it will be extended, but if not, the exercise will have to end.” (The Nation)

• Passengers crowded at a motor park