By Mustapha Sesay
Despite government proclamation of reduction in fares across the country, passengers in some segment of the capital Freetown and its environs are bemoaning rise in what should be old fares.
Last week, the Minister of Transport and Aviation announced about 16% reduction in fares following a 17% reduction in fuel prices. However, passengers in the Western Area complain that instead of realising a fall they are experiencing increase in fairs.
Commuters plying the routes to Wilberforce in the west end of Freetown say they are ‘cheated’ by drivers running taxis or ‘podapodas’ from Charlotte Street in central Freetown to Wilberforce.
Standing in a queue of over 50 people at Charlotte Street on Tuesday, Alimamy Kamara, in his early 20s, said they were now paying Le 2000 instead of Le1500 which they initially paid for Wilberforce. He said when they refused to pay the new price “the drivers will pack their vehicles along Garrison Street and wait for those with loads and other passengers who are willing to pay the Le2000 while we wait in long queue”,
On the same day, Musu Brima, resident at Wilberforce, noted that though fuel prices had been reduced “what we see is the continuous increase in transport fares more especially during rush hour”.
She pointed to the failure of drivers to reduce transportation fees at the adjustment in numbers of passengers per vehicle which government implemented in an effort to minimize transmission rate of the Ebola virus disease. Brima said they understood that, but is unhappy that derivers were using it “to cheat us”.
Standing in long a queue at the same Charlotte Street, sexagenarian Daniel Konomani told Politico that after a long time without getting a vehicle, they walked towards Garrison Street nearby where the drivers took in only people with loads and those who paid Le3000.
“It is very unfair for drivers to ask for Le 3000 as transport fare from here to Wilberforce, it’s not only drivers and Okada riders that should be striking. We too have the right to strike for such attitude of the drivers and stop them not to run for a whole day or two,” he said, referring to the strike action by motorbike riders only two days earlier.
Konomani, who said he had spent more than an hour waiting for a vehicle, was worried that the difficulty in transportation was affecting his business and livelihoods.
According to reports, in the morning hours of the 28th of January passengers travelling between Wellington and East End Police in the central business district of Freetown confronted drivers for failure to adhere to the government directive on the transportation fee decrease.
© Politico 05/02/15
