Yuletide: Alia orders reduction in transport fares, releases 100 palliative buses
Not a few intending passengers have lauded the Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, for handing over 100 palliative buses to the state transport company known as Benue Links with the directive to slash fares to an affordable level.
The initiative, The FCG learnt has been recorded as a good score by the residents of the state in another of his many lessons in good governance.
The FCG visit to several motor parks in Makurdi, the state capital, in the early hours of Tuesday revealed that in spite of the hike in the price of transportation fares as a result of the subsidy removal, intending holidaymakers travelling out of Benue State for the yuletide season are trooping into the different motor parks located along Wurikum and High Level.
Our correspondent who observed the large number of prospective travellers trooping into the parks spoke with some of them who insisted that aside from the governor’s gesture, anyone who has one thing or the other to do outside the state must travel despite the hike in transportation fares.
A passenger who identified himself as Atama, and who said he was traveling from Makurdi to Wukari in Taraba State said he decided to travel with his family due to the affordable fare.
He said, “The state-owned transport company has made things easier. If I were to travel in my car I would spend roughly N70,000 to and fro, even though, the drive would be more pleasurable.
But with the slash in fares through our governor’s initiative, four of us traveling will spend about N30,000 to and from, because with Benue Links you pay N2,000 per person from Makurdi to Zaki Biam and less than N1,500 from Zaki Biam to Wukari in Taraba State.”
The Chairman of National Union Road Transport Workers, Jerome Ukor confirmed the influx of travellers at all the parks where loaded vehicles of all brands and make were seen driving passengers out of the state to their various destinations just as many others stormed the state with holidaymakers.
Ukor stated, “People are travelling. Go round the parks in Makurdi you will see an exodus of people travelling for Christmas, the same way, we are having people come into town.”
Asked if this has to do with the slash in the fares by the state transport company, Ukor informed that both the government-owned transport company and those owned by individuals are experiencing high patronage.
Our correspondent learnt further that most of the transport companies in the state had also followed suit by slashing fares within the state.
For instance, while fares from Zaki Biam through Benue Links cost N2,000, Pleasure Travel, a private company in the state has reduced its fare to the same town for N1,950.00 only.
