Chai! This Christmas wey dey come, transport fare for Enugu don really turn saga o! Commuters dey face wahala as fare don jump like say person carry am for head. Major routes wey before dey cost ₦400 to ₦500 don suddenly increase reach ₦700 to ₦800. E be like say festive season get e own wahala wey dey make drivers increase the money wey dem dey charge.

As our eyes don see for Old Park to Eke Obinagu, na serious matter. Fares wey we dey use before don change make person dey scratch hin head. From Old Park to Abakpa, na ₦800 you go pay now, waka from ₦400 wey e dey before. Even the Holy Ghost to Agbani Road area dey feel am, fares don jump from ₦500 to ₦900. Talk about intra-city, some short trips don double, wey some dey cost ₦150 don turn ₦300 now. E no easy at all!

Drivers dey defend this increase, talk say as Christmas don land, na one-way transport flow dey happen. One driver yarns say, “If I carry passenger from Old Park to Emene for ₦500, wetin I go use carry passenger come back? Na why I go chop the return fare join.”

Another driver don add say, if dem no increase fare, dem go dey lose plenty money. “Everybody dey travel go village, if we no increase fare, we go just dey suffer this period, na wetin e be.” E get as e be sha.

But commuters no dey smile for this change, dem don dey shout say this sudden increase na pure exploitation. One woman wey be Mrs Chinenye Okafor talk say, “I no fit believe them ask me for ₦800 for short route wey I dey pay ₦500. Fuel price don reduce before, so why fare go dey increase?”

Mr Ifeanyi Nwankwo dey vex, him dey talk say transport operators dey use Christmas season as opportunity to chop money. “Every Christmas, na so e dey go. Dem go just raise fare without warning, ordinary people go dey suffer.”

Na so some passengers dey call on transport unions and government make dem step in to regulate the fare during this festive period. Dem dey call am arbitrary pricing sharp sharp! But no be news say efforts to catch response from National Union of Road Transport Workers and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria no gree pick call or respond to any inquiry.

As Christmas and New Year dey approach, the burden of these rising transport costs dey fall for the shoulders of commuters for Enugu as dem dey carry the load alone. Na so wahala go dey, make we dey shine our eye well-well!