by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
A Bus Town Service Driver (BTS) plying Kaduna Central Market and Sabon Tasha “by express” this week bursted into tears after purchasing N20,000 Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as Petrol, from a Filling Station along Kachia Road, Kaduna.
The driver (name withheld) initially became emotionally charged when his conductor informed him that the amount of money charged for the litre he directed him to buy was N20,000.
Narrating the ugly trend, our reporter, who was a star witness, reported that the driver became emotional with grumbling after he had delivered the N20,000 – which also attracted passengers’ attention.
As a front seat passenger, our reporter turned to the driver and asked him why he was so emotional. The driver, who responded with expression of anger, explained that he cannot remember paying such amount for petrol since he started driving “commercial” over a decade.
The driver continued, with tears rolling down his cheeks, that they may not even recover the money and make little or no profits at all, after ‘settling’ conductor and owner of the bus.
Calculating the movement, he said his dilemma was that, most times a shuttle between Central Market and Sabon Tasha transport gave them about N5,000 and more or less, for going, and far less in return to Sabon Tasha at during morning hours.
He, however, predicted that, the fuel may finish in three or four trips, lamenting and wondering how he could continue the commercial driving work without profits, under the current situation in the country.
Findings, however, revealed that the BTS passengers are still complaining about the high cost of fair, especially in the early morning hours, afternoon hours and evening (rush) hours, which is put at N400-N600 and, sometimes, N700, respectfully.
Indeed, the situation has not changed for better with the introduction of the CNG-powered free bus transport services for civil servants and others under Governor Uba Sani-led administration.
Experts have, however, attributed the current fuel increase to the Gulf War in the Middle East, anticipating it will fall at the end of the conflicts between US-Israel and Iran.