Passengers, ALBON protest 333 per cent service charge hike at Oshodi terminal

THERE is an uneasy calm at a section of the Oshodi Terminal Interchange ( OTI) occupied by long- distance luxury bus transporters.

This followed a hike in the service charge collected from passengers by the management of the facility.

The charge was hiked from N600 to N2,000 per passenger on a single trip, representing 333 per cent. It took effect from Thursday, February 1.

When The Guardian visited Terminal 1, where the luxury buses operate, the transporters urged the Lagos State government to rescind the upward review, in consideration of harsh economic realities. This came as regular passengers insisted they wouldn’t pay the new charge.

Further checks at the busy inter- state Terminal 1 revealed that transporters have not loaded their buses since Thursday when the order was made by Planet Projects Limited, the firm managing the terminal.

One of the managers said the operators were waiting for further directives from bus owners who are making efforts to convince the government to shelve the plan or, at least, review it downward to N800, which amounts to a N200 increase. The manager, who pleaded anonymity, described the new N2,000 service charge for luxury bus passengers as “very unfair” and “discriminatory,” because “other interstate buses, especially those belonging to members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW) are still paying N200.”

According to him, there is no way Lagos State government could justify imposing a heavy burden on passengers by collecting a N2,000 service charge a few days after the government stopped the fare rebate introduced to ease the pains of petrol subsidy removal.

“It is like giving the public a transport palliative with the right hand and taking it back with the left hand,” he lamented.

Some passengers have wondered why Lagos State government could consider such an upward review at a time Nigerians were groaning under the weight of economic hardship. They vowed to resist the increase, adding, however, that if the state goes ahead, they would seek alternative transport services.

The passengers threatened to start using other terminals and loading stations belonging to private long- distance bus transporters.

One passenger said: “If the increase stands, what is likely to happen is that the fare paid by one who enters a luxury bus at Oshodi will be higher by N2,000 than the fare paid by passenger travelling to the same destination from Jibowu or any other terminal or station in Lagos. Tell me why travellers must continue to come to the Oshodi terminal where they will be charged higher?”

Another, who gave his name as Chuka Anaebonam, said he had just been charged N100 for using the toilet. According to him, “you are imposing an exorbitant service charge and at the same time you are collecting N100 from the same passengers. Is that not exploitation and double taxation?”

On his part, Valentine Okoro, an Onitsha- bound passenger, said the likely consequence of the sharp increase is that the Oshodi terminal would be deserted, because if passengers refuse to pay, bus owners would be forced to take their vehicles elsewhere for loading.

Responding, a staff of Planet Projects Limited, who spoke on phone, confirmed that the increase from N600 to N2,000 took effect February 1. “Yes. There is an increase to N2,000 with effect from February 1,” he explained, refusing any further comments.

Meanwhile, the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria ( ALBON) protested against the hike.