Christmas: Drivers Lament Low Passenger Turnout

Some commercial drivers who spoke with our reporter on Friday claim they are encountering difficulties following low patronage of travellers ahead of Christmas.

Emenike operates on the Enugu-Abuja route. He said, “We are forced to sleep at the park for many days before our turn to load comes. Some days, we load just one bus, at times two buses. Then drivers whose turn didn’t reach will wait for the next day. It is unlike before when we operated daily due to pressure from passengers.”

A manager of a popular transport company at Old Park, Enugu, said, “Before, by this time of the season, we would mobilise our drivers to move to Abuja from Enugu even without passengers. But our drivers in Abuja are also stranded due to absence of passengers. The situation is terrible. People don’t have money to travel any longer. The increase in the prices of fuel is the principal cause of the present hardship.”

A female passenger, who spoke with our reporter at a garage opposite Enugu North Secretariat, said, “We have been here since 7am. What time can we get to Abuja considering also the bad road network? At least three passengers cancelled their journey, and are battling to recover their fare from the unwilling park operators. I think Nigeria’s economic strategy has failed because people are not just happy.”

For a driver who identified himself as Hillary, “This is the best opportunity to make money. If the company allows us to travel without being fully loaded, we carry passengers who prefer to stand by the roadside, and the money comes to our pocket. The problem is to even leave.”

Our correspondent gathered that travelling to Abuja from Enugu costs about N11, 000 while the reverse is higher.