The Lagos State Government has called on transport union leaders to reduce their ticket fares in accordance with the directive of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Abdulhafiz Toriola, who was represented by the ministry’s Director, Transport Operations, Olasunkanmi Ojowuro, stated this on Thursday during visits to major parks in Agege, Iyana Ipaja and Ikeja.
The PUNCH had reported that the Lagos State Government announced that the fare for all state-owned transport systems would be slashed by 50 per cent as a palliative measure to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on the citizens.
Operators in the private transportation sector were also directed to slash their fares by 25 per cent.
Toriola said, “Due to the removal of fuel subsidy which has affected the whole of our lives, the federal and state governments have come up with palliative measures to cushion it. As a ministry, we are here to find out if the transport workers complied with the directives of Mr Governor.
“Thus, we are here to meet the transport union leaders and we expect them to coordinate the activities of their members to implement the reduction of the fees they pay for tickets by 25 per cent, from N800 to N600, which they collect from their members, and transport fares are also to reduce by 25 per cent. We also want to ask transport workers if their fares have been slashed.”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Alausa-Secretariat Unit, Mrs Iyabo Akeju, said, “We have reduced the ticket fares and the money we collect from drivers, but our passengers are charged N200 if they want to sit four on each seat or N300 for three passengers per seat but this will change from tomorrow (Friday).”
However, a bus driver, Kunle Ajayi, who spoke with our correspondent, complained that the reduction in bus fares had not helped their situation as they still purchase fuel at high prices.
