Major motor parks in Ibadan witnessed a low turnout of passengers on Friday, contrary to the expected rush typical of the Easter holiday season.
A visit by the News Agency of Nigeria to motor parks at Iwo Road and Ojoo Bus Terminals revealed a lack of surge in inter-state commuting.
According to the chairman of Saki Motor Park, Mr. Michael Adelokun, the number of buses departing from the park to various destinations fell short of expectations.
“It’s clear that passengers are not traveling in the numbers they used to, primarily due to a lack of money, although we haven’t increased transportation costs. A trip to Saki costs N3,000 by bus and N3,500 by car, rates that have remained unchanged for a while despite the challenging economy,” Adelokun said.
He highlighted the burden of rising costs of petrol and maintenance on their earnings from the business, noting significant increases in the prices of engine oil and tires.
The Secretary of the Park Management System at Iwo Road Motor Park, Mr. Isahu Salawu, echoed similar sentiments, attributing the low turnout to people’s need to manage their spending.
“The high cost of petrol and other transportation overheads have impacted our business negatively. Despite this, we haven’t increased fares to avoid further burdening passengers in this tough economy,” Salawu explained.
However, some passengers noted slight fare increases. Mr. Tafa Alaba reported an increase in the fare to Iseyin, while Miss Tobiloba Samuel observed a rise in fares to Lagos for the Easter holiday.
Despite these increases, the usual festive atmosphere at motor parks was notably absent, with fewer people opting to travel.
NAN observed a departure from the usual hustle and bustle that characterizes festive periods in motor parks.
