The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Kaduna State branch, has revealed that there has been a significant drop of over 50% in the number of travelers within the state as the festive season approaches.
The Secretary of NURTW, Malam Bature Suleiman, disclosed this in a recent interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday.
Suleiman attributed this decline to the exorbitant transportation fares resulting from the recent increase in fuel pump prices.
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The escalating cost of transportation has evidently deterred many individuals from embarking on journeys during the Yuletide period, impacting travel patterns across Kaduna State.
“People no longer travel but only prefer to send messages to their loved ones. Sadly, if you go to our motor parks now, you will see a lot of vehicles waiting without passengers.
“People don’t have money to travel until it becomes necessary; they prefer to waybill messages,” Suleiman noted.
He mentioned that commercial drivers were experiencing financial losses due to the country’s challenging economic conditions. He emphasized, “In addition to the rising fuel prices, we are grappling with numerous poorly maintained roads, and several policies affecting the transportation sector are unfavorable.”
The official expressed concern about the purported burden of multiple taxes imposed on union members, characterizing the situation as highly unfavorable.
He said, “There are lots of revenues attached to transportation, as the government now seems to have its focus on the sector. Currently, there is an increment so much that what the driver would get at the end of the day is nothing to write home about. Drivers would just be doing the work without any gain in it.”