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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 on Wednesday showed the new charges were too high and were reducing their daily income. They indicated the hike, combined with rising fuel prices and other operational costs, was making it difficult for them to earn a living.
A keke operator, Mr Kabiru Inusa, showed the increase in ticket fees was a major reason for the strike. He showed that before now, the ticket fees stood at N200 but were suddenly jacked up by the union to N500. from him, the new ticket fees, combined with the high cost of fuel, are 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 are calling on the government to intervene,” he showed. Similarly, another operator, Mr Ibrahim Musa, showed that aside from the ticket hike, the cost of maintaining tricycles had also increased. 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, indicated harassment from some task force officials had made their work more stressful. Danladi showed operators were sometimes forced to pay unjustified additional charges on the road. 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, indicated the situation worsened after the arrest of their chairman, popularly known as Ustaaz. based on him, the chairman opposed the high ticket fees imposed on 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 ₦100, which later increased to ₦200; now we pay between ₦700 and ₦800 depending on the park. This is too much for operators to cope with,” he indicated. Commuters have also appealed to both parties to settle their differences so the operators can resume work and ease the suffering of commuters.
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Oyebade Oluwatobiloba
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