Several prominent motor parks in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, witnessed a significant decrease in passenger traffic on Friday, contrary to the anticipated Easter holiday rush.
A visit by the News Agency of Nigeria at motor parks located in Iwo Road and Ojoo Bus Terminals revealed a lack of heightened inter-state commuting activities.
Mr. Michael Adelokun, the Chairman of Saki Motor Park, noted that the volume of buses departing from the park to various destinations fell well short of expectations.
He observed that passengers were noticeably fewer compared to previous travel patterns.
“People have not been coming out due to lack of money, although we have not increased the cost of transportation. A bus to Saki costs N3,000, while a car goes for N3,500.
“These have been the costs for a long time now despite the unfriendly economy,” he said.
He observed that the combination of petrol expenses and car maintenance was increasingly weighing on their business earnings.
Adelokun mentioned that the price of engine oil had surged from approximately N3,500 and N4,000 to N16,000.
“Same for the cost of tyres, which had increased from between N28,000 and N30,000 to N65,000.
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“Due to the general low purchasing power of Nigerians, it is difficult to increase transport fare in the midst of skyrocketing prices of goods and services,” he said.
Also, Mr. Isahu Salawu, the Secretary of the Park Management System at Iwo Road Motor Park, mentioned that individuals opted to remain in their homes due to their need to regulate their expenditures.
He noted that the financial constraints had adversely affected their businesses, resulting in festive periods appearing subdued at the parks.
Salawu lamented the exorbitant cost of petrol and other overhead expenses associated with the transportation system. Despite these challenges, he emphasized that fares remained unchanged.
“We have just left the transportation fare as it is so as not to add to the burden of passengers as we are all struggling in this economy,” he said.
Mr. Tafa Alaba, a passenger, noted that the fare to Iseyin had risen from the previous range of N1,300 to N1,500 to a new rate of N1,700. Despite this slight increase, which he deemed tolerable, he remarked that fewer people seemed inclined to travel as they once did.
Another passenger, Miss Tobiloba Samuel, who was en route to Lagos for the Easter holiday, reported that bus fares, previously at N2,500, had escalated to N3,600, while car fares, formerly at N3,600, had climbed to N4,100.
Observations by NAN revealed a notable absence of the usual hustle and bustle typical of festive periods in motor parks.
