Business
Transporters Task FG On Vehicle Price Subsidy
The road transport employers in Port Harcourt have stated the need for price of commercial buses to enable operators stay in business.
This was made known in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The Manager of Obi Park at Waterlines, Port Harcourt, Mr Chijioke Peter said yesterday that the high cost of commercial busses in the country was at alarming rate, pointing out that formally the cost of 18 Seater Hummer bus was N8 million but if now has tripled to as much as N24 million.
According to him, the high cost of vehicles had also affected the transport fare, saying formally Port Harcourt to Lagos fare was N4,500 but now N5,000 while Port Harcourt to Abuja rose from N5,000 to N6,000. This increase, he said had affected patronage from our passengers who said that they found it difficult to pay the hike in fare, adding that those of them who purchase goods from Lagos, resort to making transfer of the money to their respective customers who would in turn package and weigh bill it through haulage to Port Harcourt and they take the delivery with less expenses.
“Our business is going down every day as a result of this, we therefore urge government to subsidise the prices of vehicles to enable people survive in the transport business or float a federal government transport assisted scheme that would involve greater participation in the transport sector,” he said.
Peter noted that most of their vehicles on the road are wearing out without replacement due to high cost of vehicles, appealing to government to put the right thinking people in position for things to be better, while calling the commuters to be patient, with the believe that things would be better soon.
A passenger who spoke to our correspondent, Mr Ola Seun, said that the astronomical hike in transport fare to Lagos was a shock, noting that government and transporters should do something about it to alleviate the hardship this price increase was causing the commuters who are bearing the brunt.
Kinika Mpi