Lagos cancels 50% transport discount, residents lament

 

The Lagos State Government has said it would discontinue the 50 per cent discount on transport services starting from Sunday (today).

However, several residents who spoke to our correspondent, expressed their displeasure over the announcement, noting that citizens are still burdened by the hike in petrol and commodity prices.

On July 31, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced a 50 per cent reduction in the fares charged by transport services, adding that modalities had been put in place by the informal transportation sector, especially the yellow buses, to slash their charges by 25 per cent.

Sanwo-Olu stated that this move, which came into effect on August 2, was part of the palliatives offered by the state to cushion the hike in the prices of goods and services due to petrol subsidy removal.

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, in a statement posted on its official X handle on Saturday, said from Monday, the fares would return to their previous rates.

The statement also announced the introduction of a new off-peak period as a form of rebate for passengers who use the Bus Rapid Transit and Blue Line trains.

In his reaction, a Lagos-based auto technician, Seun Oduola, in a chat with Sunday PUNCH, faulted the move by the state government which he described as confusion.

“This confusion from the government is unacceptable. If they know that they can’t maintain their ground on a policy, then they shouldn’t have embarked on it at all.

“They want to return bus fares to their former prices but fuel price is still the same and things are still hard for people out there. The government should do something beneficial for us and stick to it,” he said.

Another resident, Martins Oluyemi, lamented, “Now that our governor is taking this discount away, in what way has he helped to increase the purchasing power of Lagosians? Where has the increased monthly disbursement from the Federal Government gone? What makes this even more painful is the fact that we are very close to December and January when inflation is higher, how do they want us to survive?”