NURTW Set To Regulate Fares

The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) says  it would regulate activities of its members to guard against unjustifiable hike in cost of transportation throughout the country during this year’s Christmas celebration.

In a statement made available to The Tide and signed by the union’s National Officer, Comrade Ibrahim Iro said the Union would ensure that transportation fares remained affordable despite the Christmas festive period.

Comrade Iro said although increment in the cost of petrol had affected cost of transportation throughout the country, but the union members still charge the same fares considering the economic  reality in the country.

He said the union was also, aware of some commercial drivers who may take advantage of the Christmas rush stressing that the union is a strong regulatory body and as such members cannot act otherwise outside the union’s national Secretariat directives.

The Labour Leader urged government to regulate the activities of Independent Marketers of Petroleum Products to ensure sanity in the distribution of the Petroleum product system during this period.

He said “most service stations throughout the country sell a litre of petrol between N135 and N150 against government’s approved pump price of N97.00 per litre, stressing that government needs to implement the approved price of the petroleum product through monitoring for compliance by the Independent Petroleum Marketers.

Meanwhile, commercial drivers within Port Harcourt metropolis said cost of transport would likely increase if the pump price of petrol continue to rise during the Christmas period.

Some of the drivers who spoke to The Tide at the Abali motor park, Bayelsa Motor park and Sam Jaja bus terminal lamented the cost of petrol and long queuing at the filling stations, stressing that the situation was getting worse without intervention.

Mr. Priye Otiotio a commercial driver at the Bayelsa loading park said the situation might change stressing that it cost some drivers over N6000 to fill their vehicles tanks as against N4000 before now.

Philip Okparaji