Lockdown Ease: passengers resort to trekking as tricyclists increase fare by 50%

By Sunday Ogundiran

Following the restriction on their mode of operation which has reduced their carriage capacity by 50 per cent, tricycle operators at the Low Cost Housing Estate, Jakande Gate, Ejigbo have also increased their fares by 50 per cent in order to make up for the loss.

However, some passengers who could not afford the new fares especially those whose destinations are not far have resorted to trekking to and fro instead.

With the lockdown relaxation, the government has ordered that the tricycles should not carry more than two passengers instead of four while the motorcycle operations are totally banned across the state.

To this end, the tricycle operators also increase their fares in order to comply with the new guideline in their operation.

For instance, passengers going to Ijegun from Jakande Gate now pay N200 each instead of N100; those going to Isheri pay N150 in lieu of old N70 while Bucknor passengers have to pay N100 in place of the initial N50.

However, the members of the association of tricycle operators operating in that axis complained that they record low patronage since they increased the fare, claiming that they could not do without increasing the fare since they have to reduce the number of passengers and the period of work occasioned the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the state government.

One of the drivers, Kamilu Kazeem, who spoke to ECHONEWS as regards their new mode of operation said: “Though the operators have been told to reduce the number of passengers to two, which was adhered to but we record low patronage on daily basis as many passengers find it difficult to afford the increase in the fare.

Those whose destinations are not far resort to trekking instead. Carrying them with the old prices cannot pay us too as we pay the same amount for tickets.”

Meanwhile, Kazeem said he and few other drivers have restricted their operations within the Estate knowing that so many residents would still need to go out to work and meet up with their needs and would not have choice than to pay the N100 fare.

He added that operating within the estate area also made them avert the challenges by security agents around 8pm when curfew begins.