By Mohamed Vandi in Kenema
Commercial motor drivers in Kenema have damned the Ebola State of Emergency Regulations which ordered drivers all over the country to reduce the amount of passengers they carry in their vehicles by one as an Ebola prevention and control measure.
The drivers’ decision to violate the order followed a sit-down strike undertaken by the drivers on Tuesday morning as a result of a reduction in the transport fare of vehicles running between Kenema and Bo.
The reduction came as a result of the reduction in the prices of oil and fuel both internationally and locally. Initially, the sitting capacity for taxis plying the route was six passengers-two in front and four at the back. But that number had been reduced by two passengers-one in front and three at the back when Ebola broke out in the country.
As oil prices reduced on the global market, Sierra Leone’s government was forced to also reduce the prices of oil product and subsequently transportation. That led to the strike on Tuesday as fares for the vehicles running between the two cities fell from Le 15,000 to 10, 000.
Speaking to Politico, a driver, Momoh Sellu, explained that before Ebola broke out in the country, they were fine with passengers paying Le 10,000, which was the initial transport charge, as they were loading six then.
In an effort to avoid body contact, he said, they had agreed to drop the sitting capacity of the all their vehicles. That, he said, was when they decided to increase the transportation cost to Le 15,000.
‘’As we reduced the number of passengers in our vehicles, we also decided to make an increase in the fare because we have to pay for fuel and maintenance”. Sellu noted that it was better for them to increase the travel cost than overload their vehicles, thereby putting the wellbeing of passengers at risk.
“If we are going to reduce the transport cost, then we will start our normal overloading. We have no problem with that but we want the authorities to know that we are not happy,” another driver told Politico. He added that they were encountering so many challenges on the road.
Regional Chairman East, Motor Drivers Union, Edward Kaskay, said that his organization initially had the intention of maintaining the increment, but was forced to reduce because the Government instructed drivers to reduce transport cost.
He said concerns had long been raised ever since the reduction in the number of passengers for commercial vehicles was announced. “We really sympathize with them, but this is an order from the Government so we have to enforce it,” Kaskay stated.
He stated that the reduction policy was put in place as a way of complimenting the effort of the government in the fight against Ebola by abiding by the principle of ‘don’t touch’.
© Politico 05/02/15
