The Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria, ALBON, has announced an increase in the number of scheduled trips on the Lagos-Southeast and Lagos-Southsouth routes which will last until the end of the Christmas/New Year season.
This is in response to the complaints of insufficient capacity to address the upsurge in the number of passengers on the affected routes.
The upsurge followed the implementation of a 50 percent fare slash on inter-state travels approved by President Bola Tinubu for the Yuletide.
A press statement by ALBON President, Mr. Nonso Ubajaka, and the Honorary Secretary, Mr. Frank Nneji, disclosed that the Lagos-Southeast and Lagos-Southsouth routes have been witnessing an unprecedented increase in passengers since the implementation of the presidential palliative commenced.
Departures from the popular Terminal 1 inter-state public motor park at Oshodi in Lagos, for instance, have experienced a sharp rise.
At the well lit Terminal 1 on Saturday, December 28, it was discovered that more people preferred to travel with the night buses as passengers thronged the various luxury bus transport companies’ booths to obtain their tickets at half the current fares.
It was also reported that a huge crowd of travellers at the Oshodi Transport Interchange who jostled and queued to obtain the rebate tickets even as others positioned their luggage for loading ahead of boarding.
The buses offering the special fares bore banners with bold inscriptions informing travellers that the gesture was a “Presidential Palliative” passed through the luxury bus owners' umbrella body.
It was, however, observed that despite large presence of intending passengers at the terminal, there was no stampede or breakdown of law and order as earlier reported by some online news platforms.
Checks at the various booths, even on Sunday morning, showed that a discounted fare of N23,500, which is half of the current N47,000, was being collected from the intending passengers for trips to eastern destinations like Onitsha, Owerri and Umuahia.
Travellers sleep at bus stations
The high demand for the cheaper tickets has led to a situation where intending travellers throng the terminal hours ahead of night departures. Many others spend the night there to be able to pay for the discounted fare and board the early morning buses.
Some of the member-companies of ALBON seen selling the rebate tickets at the terminal included Evergreen Express, Okeyson Transport, Ifeanyichukwu Transport, Izuchukwu Transport, God Bless Ezenwata and Gobison Transport.
Just before departure on Saturday night, some of the passengers on board an Evergreen luxury bus going to Aba, who paid N23,500 each, expressed their gratitude to President Tinubu for the fare palliative.
‘I had given up hope of travelling home’
One of them, who gave his name as Anthony Uba, said, ”This is the best Christmas gift anyone can get.
“I had given up hope of travelling home this season due to the high fares until I heard that the luxury bus transporters are partnering with the Federal Government to sell tickets at half the prices.”
Similarly, some excited Aba-bound passengers on board an Okeyson luxury bus confirmed that they benefited from the 50 percent discount, and thanked the President for subsidising Christmas season travels through the luxury bus transporters.
While an Izu Chukwu bus was seen departing to Asaba, another one belonging to Ezenwata was seen boarding Aba passengers, all of whom were visibly excited that they could benefit from the “Tinubu’s palliative.”
However, while expressing their gratitude to the Federal Government for relieving them of the burden of high transport fares at a time of economic difficulties in Nigeria, most of them appealed for an extension of the January 5, 2025 end date, even as others hope for a similar gesture during the 2025 Christmas season.
“I am happy that I am travelling with my children with the 50 percent tickets.
“The President has done well, and I pray he does it again next Christmas so that poor people can travel home to meet their relations,” said a Gobison passenger.
The passenger disclosed that he and his family were also beneficiaries in 2023.
The leadership of ALBON, had last week, commended President Tinubu for approving the subsidy on Yuletide trips, which, they said, would relieve the travelling public of the burden of high fares occasioned by rising costs of vehicle maintenance.