Residents and passengers within the old Port Harcourt Township axis of Rivers State, have decried the extortionist tendencies of commercial taxi drivers plying the Lagos bus stop, Borikiri route.
Some of the affected residents and passengers are disappointed over what they consider as arbitrary increase from the regular transport fare of N50.00 to N100.00 by the commercial taxi drivers despite the fact that the fuel scarcity has some how abated.
A passenger, Mr Emma Joshua who spoke with The Tide in an interview, said the increase in the transport fare was uncalled for as other routes still maintain the old fare of N50.00.
“The commercial taxi drivers plying the Lagos bus stop, Borikiri route take advantage of the fuel scarcity to increase the transport fare from N50 to N100, and refuse to bring down the fare to the normal charge of N50, even after the fuel scarcity has abated”.
He said most of the commercial taxi drivers buy fuel from the NNPC Mega Station, at Lagos Bus stop at the price of N143, per litre, but refuse to change the regular fare.
Another passenger and resident of old Port Harcourt Township, Erefa Ezekiel who spoke with our correspondent, said the taxi drivers were adamant against the appeal of the passengers to collect the normal fare of N50.
“What the taxi drivers are doing is clear extortion, and they can’t continue to cause pains to the people. The Rivers State Government and relevant agencies and stakeholders such as the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) should intervene into the matter.
We can’t continue to die in silence. The Tide investigation revealed that transport fare from Garrison bus stop to mile one park, and mile one park to Lagos bus stop, remains N50, per bus stop, while, bus drivers still maintain the old fare of N50, from Lagos bus stop to Borikiri.

Taneh Beemene