FG to sanction transporters that increase fares

The Federal Government is to impose sanctions on transporters, particularly operators of road transport firms, who increase their fares indiscriminately.

This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, when she met legislators at the House of Representatives and other stakeholders on Thursday.

Gbemisola Saraki was represented by the Director, Road Transport and Mass Transit Administration, Federal Ministry of Transport, Udu-Ejembi Mary. According to her, the unreasonable transport fare increase was causing untold hardship on travellers and affecting the Nigerian economy negatively.

“The lawmakers were concerned that Nigerians were already viewing the situation as a gross exhibition of greed and monumental corruption on the part of transporters who capitalise on rushing periods to exploit people.

This invariably puts a question mark on the country’s drive or fight against corruption,” Saraki’s representative stated.

She added, “The mandate of the Federal Ministry of Transportation is not only to manage rail, road, inland waterways, sea and air transport nationwide but also to regulate the operators.”

That, according to the Minister, was why stakeholders were to put measures in place to monitor the activities of transporters across the country, especially during festive periods.

Why it matters

Saraki noted that the decision is in order to curtail the obnoxious hikes in fares and also impose sanctions on erring operators to serve as a deterrent to others.

Transport operators at the meeting, however, argued that several factors often caused fare hikes, particularly during festive seasons.

The Deputy National Secretary-General, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Henry Ugwu, outlined some of the factors to include excessive taxation on roads, and high cost of petrol, among others.

He said, “From RTEAN, we’ve not directed our people to increase transport fares. Every festive period you have this rush, but it is not basically because of the rush.

It is, for instance, if you have a fleet of 50 vehicles; when you move passengers from the area of the rush to their destination, you will not see people to bring back. So that is one of the reasons.