Residents of Asaba, Delta State are currently facing hardship and unbearable situation following the abitrary increase in transport fare by tricycle operators.
While many residents, some of whom are unemployed have called on relevant authorities to moderate the current transport tariff to ameliorate the suffering of the poor masses in the state, tricycle operators have tried to justify the increase.
Commuters have accused tricycle operators of being heartless for the arbitrary increase.
A survey conducted by our correspondent reveals that tricycle normal fare, which used to be N50 for a drop, has been increased to N100, while a long distance within Asaba, the state capital and its environs, attracts between N200 and N300 for a drop.
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Some of the residents who spoke to our correspondent described the situation as appalling. Ezekiel Osokugwu complained that tricycle operators had under the global health crisis and the economic crunch increased the transport fares to maximize profit at the expense of others.
The state government through the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, has expressed sadness over the increase, saying “it’s very unfortunate that tricycle operators have chosen the wrong path to make lives unbearable for the people under the rules of COVID-19 Pandemic disease.
“As a matter of fact, the state government instructions for the tricycle operators was not to increase the tariff for transportation for a period of time to curtail the spread of Coronavirus pandemic.The tricycle operators were instructed to be carrying two passengers with their facemasks, but this is not what they are doing at present.”
But the State Chairman of the tricycle operators in Asaba, Nnamdi Patrick, in a swift reaction said “we have to increase our fare because of the state government’s instructions for us to be carrying two passengers. We cannot carry two and make profit after we bought fuel for N150. We have to be charging N100 and N200 in where we used to charge N50. The state government is the major problem we are having as a result of the increase. We are told that two passengers is to curtail the spread of Coronavirus Pandemic ravaging everywhere and the state.”
