Petrol: Commuters Stranded At Bus-Stops As Transporters Raise Fare By 100%

Many commuters of the Federal Capital Territory were stranded for hours on Wednesday as a result of the limited number of commercial vehicles that operated on the roads.

Findings by THE WHISTLER showed that the fuel scarcity which had continued for days left many commuters stranded at Airport Road, Berger, Area 1 and the Kubwa axis of the FCT.

While many of the commercial vehicles were stuck in fuel queues, others who had petrol in their vehicles decided to raise their fares by between 70 per cent to 100 per cent.

For instance, routes where passengers usually paid N150 per trip have been raised to N300, while commercial vehicle owners who took N100 for a particular route have increased it to N200.
Narrating her experience, a marketer, Ogonna Chukwu said, “Frankly, fuel scarcity has actually had its toll on me. I work in Garki and I move from Lugbe on a daily basis to work.

“But the last one week has been very hectic, strenuous and tough getting to work. Usually from Lugbe to Area 1 is N150, yesterday and today it moved to N250 and N300 respectively.

“When I say N300, it’s actually for coaster buses not the normal taxis. There were no taxis on ground because many of them were not able to get fuel. The gridlock caused by fuel queues sited along the road also made things more difficult.

“I am left with no option than to board the vehicle at such high rate because for me, I really need to get to work. The cost of transportation has doubled.”

Some students who also spoke to THE WHISTLER lamented that the amount being charged by commercial transport operators was far higher than what their parents gave them as transport fare.

For Joseph Ajayi who works as a mechanic in Berger, he said he had exhausted his money halfway into the journey, and would have to trek following his decision to break the trip since he could not get a direct one that would take from Kuje to Berger.

Ajayi said, “I am tired of the whole situation. From Julius Berger to Kuje I paid N600 instead of N350. The whole fuel thing is annoying.”