Citizens are complaining daily about the difficulties they encounter on the roads due to what they deem unfair treatment of some drivers. Since the increment of transport fares announced by the government, drivers have devised means to increase their income.
Thus, instead of taking the right fares for the right destinations, they cut their trips short to ensure that passengers pay two or three fares. For instance, between Coastal Road and Westfield, drivers now say they are stopping at Latrikunda from where they will load again to Westfield.
The same thing is observed in many other parts of the country. In other areas, drivers charge twice the fare just because they know that commuters are desperate and will do anything to reach their destinations.
This is making citizens feel the pinch as many other things are as expensive and thus feeding and transportation are taking a greater part of the people’s meagre earnings.
Drivers on the other hand claim that the increment of the cost of fuel is making them lose as they cannot increase fares on their own. This, they say, is what leads to them finding other ways of complementing their earnings as they have to submit a particular amount to their vehicle owners on a daily basis.
It’s high time Government engaged the Gambia Transport Union to seek solutions to this problem as it is causing a lot of disquiet among the people in the country.
