By Favour Ejiofor/Zainab Usman
Tricycle (Keke) operators in Karshi, Abuja have decried the indiscriminate increase in ticket fees.
Some of the operators who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday, said the new charges were too high and reducing their daily income.
They said that the hike, combined with rising fuel prices and other operational costs, was making it difficult for them to earn a living.
NAN reports that the tricycle operators began a three-day strike over the recent hike in ticket fees.
Mr Kabiru Inusa, a keke operator, said the hike in ticket fees was a major reason for the strike.
He said that before now, the ticket fees stood at N200 but was suddenly jacked up by the union to N500.
According to him, the new ticket fees, combined with high cost of fuel is too much for them to handle.
“We pay for tickets at every park we enter, and this adds to our burden. This is why we stopped work and calling on the government to intervene.”
Similarly, Mr Ibrahim Musa, another operator, said that aside the tickets’ hike, the cost of maintaining tricycles had increased.
Musa explained that spare parts and repairs were now more expensive; adding that the extra cost was cutting their profits and making it difficult for them to meet daily needs and support their families.
In the same vein, Mr Suleiman Danladi, another keke operator, said harassment from some task force officials had made their work more stressful.
Danladi said that operators were sometimes forced to pay unjustified additional charges on the road.
He added that the strike was not just about ticket fees, but also about fair treatment and better working conditions for keke riders.
Mr Idris Usman, another operator, said the situation worsened after the arrest of their chairman, popularly known as Ustaaz.
According to him, the chairman opposed the high ticket fees imposed on the operators and pushed for a fee reduction.
“Instead of the union to reason with him, they arrested him and this further angered us.
“The steady hike in ticket fees over time is becoming worrisome. We used to pay N100, which later increased to N200, now we pay between N700 and N800 depending on the park. This is too much for operators to cope with.”
NAN reports that the operators have appealed to the government to review the ticket charges and address their concerns to enable them return to work.
Commuters have also appealed to both parties to settle their differences so the operators could resume work and ease the suffering of commuters.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Deborah Coker
