as port operations continue
Commercial bus drivers have defied the Lagos State Government directive that all yellow transport buses should slash their fares by 25 per cent.
This is even as port operations have continued unhindered despite the ongoing strike action by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
Recall that Governor Sanwo-Olu, while speaking to journalists during a media briefing on Monday, had said that a 50 Percent slash in transport fare on all Lagos State-controlled transport mediums (BRT Blue Line) and a 25 per cent slash in transport fare on all yellow buses will commence on Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023.
However, checks by Tribune Online on Wednesday morning revealed that while all Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses complied with the directive to slash fares by 50 per cent, yellow buses didn’t slash transport fares by 25 per cent.
Transport fares from Agege to Ikeja still stood between N300 and N400 while Ijora to Oshodi still went for N500. Apapa to Ijora was still N200 and Apapa to Contain was still being carried at N300.
Speaking with Tribune Online on why yellow bus drivers have not complied with the State government directive, a bus driver Salau Liadi explained that there was no incentive from any of their leadership that could have warranted a slash in Transportation fares.
“Mr. Governor said he has an agreement with our leadership, but we have not heard anything from anybody.
“I am on the road because I have to put food on the table for my family. The cost of petrol has not gone down, neither have we been given fuel by anybody to slash Transportation fares. So I don’t really understand this Lagos State Government directive that yellow buses should slash fares by 25 per cent.
“The BRTs can do that because the State government must have provided incentives for them. But for us yellow buses, we can’t slash fares because we still buy fuel at N585 per litre,” Liadi told Tribune Online.
The Lagos State Governor had said on Monday that it was working on rolling out these palliatives to lessen the pain that the removal of subsidy had brought on the citizens.
“We’ve had extensive conversations with all of the stakeholders in our transport system, both formal and informal modes of transportation, and we have come to a conclusion, which the state government will be supporting.