TRANSPORT owners under the protection of Public Transport Owners of Nigeria Association have appealed to the Federal Government to lift the ban on their operation.
The bus owners comprising luxury coaches and mini buses bemoaned the financial losses so far suffered by their members since the ban came into effect as part of the measures preventing the spread of COVID-19, put their losses in the region of N200 billion. The bus owners recalled that for almost four months, their vehicles have been parked which is dangerous to the state of the vehicles. They, therefore, called on the government to intervene with a special fund to save their already battered businesses, even as they drew attention to the debilitating concomitants of the ban on the travelling public and the economy generally.
The association, however, warned that the adverse effects of the ban on inter-city travels are so dire that many of the transport firms and businesses stifled by the consequences “are bound to go bankrupt”, if the prohibition is reversed without bailout. According to PTONA President “COVID-19 will not be gone in the next six months. We need to learn how to live alongside COVID-19, and apply all necessary measures. The longer the ban on inter-state travelling lasts, the much more will be the number of small and big businesses that will die permanently. The earlier the ban is lifted, the sooner some businesses will be able to recover.”
The transporters stated that aside the billions of naira in losses inflicted so far, there would still be heavy challenges even after lifting the ban, because operators will need to first restore to sound motoring condition the buses grounded for months, reduce the number of passengers admitted on board when they re-start, as well as spend money on sanitation and health facilities.
They therefore warned that there will increase in the transport fare by 50% in other to maintain the social distancing even inside the bus.
The qusestion is: Can the Nigerians, whose average level of income has been adversely hit by the effects of COVID-19 be able to pay significantly increased transport fares…?
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