βCommuters lament over high surge of transport fares in Anambra
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βCommuters returning to Anambra State from other parts of the South-East after the Yuletide were left stranded at various motor parks on Sunday as transport fares skyrocketed by over 200 per cent.
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βA report from across major motor parks in the state revealed that both interstate and intra-state fares had increased sharply, a trend that began on Tuesday.
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βThe surge was attributed to the expected high number of passengers and the limited availability of commercial vehicles, particularly students returning to schools.
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βAt Ezeiweka and Star Sunny Motor Parks in Onitsha, travellers heading to Owerri were charged as much as N8,000 instead of the usual N3,500, while fares to Aba rose to N10,000 from N4,000
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βCommuters travelling from Awka to Enugu paid over N6,500 instead of N3,000, and those journeying from Onitsha to Awka were charged N4,000, up from N1,500.
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βIntra-state commuters were equally affected.
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βPassengers travelling from Upper Iweka to Ihiala paid N3,500 instead of N700, while other short routes that previously cost N200βN500 were now as high as N1,000, sparking quarrels between passengers and drivers.
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βSimilar scenes were reported in Nnewi and Ekwulobia, where many commuters remained stranded while a few forced their way onto the limited buses available.
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βAt Ekwulobia Motor Park, fares from Igboukwu to Nkpor and Onitsha rose to N4,000 from the previous N800, though the price of Premium Motor Spirit remained stable at about N850 per litre.
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βTransport operators told our correspondent that the hikes were due to high passenger demand and the scarcity of vehicles.
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βA commercial driver at Goodness and Mercy Motor Park in Upper Iweka, Onitsha, Chukwudi Iwundu, said, βThe increase in fares is expected because passenger volume is high while available buses are few.
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ββIt is a case of βhigh demand, low supply.β People are returning to their destinations after the Yuletide. We have no choice but to increase fares under these circumstances.β
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βEbere Kachi, a transporter at Star Sunny Motor Park in Awka, added, βAlthough passenger numbers are high, the main problem is the deplorable road conditions in the South-East. Roads have damaged our vehicles, forcing frequent repairs, and motor parts are expensive.
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βSome members of the umbrella body of transport operators in the state, the Anambra Drivers Union, said they were unaware of the fare increases and promised to investigate the situation.
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