A month or so ago, government announced the reduction of transport fares across the country following consultations with the National Transport Union. Initially, some drivers raised concerns over the decision and some even staged a less-at-hand successful protest.
Ultimately, the drivers agreed to the new tariff, albeit, reluctantly. Life went back to normal, so to speak. Unbeknown to many, many of the drivers had simply found a way to beat the system and regain what they thought they had lost due to the price reduction.
Now, instead of loading from Westfield to Tabokoto and collecting one fare per person, they now say that they are going to Latrikunda. From there they will announce that they are going to Tabokoto thus collecting D14 where they were supposed to collect D7. It seems now they have no cause to complain.
Though there is an uneasy calm between the drivers on the one hand and the passengers on the other, suppressed tension still simmers among the road users. Oftentimes, quarrels erupt between a passenger and an apprentice mostly resulting in a scuffle which the drivers ultimately join.
It isn’t clear what the government can do but they certainly need to do something. It will be great if government engaged the National Transport Union again to ensure that they come up with suggestions to solve this problem so that everyone will be satisfied. Commuters are suffering in silence!
