Passengers travelling into Ogun State from various parts of Lagos State were stranded on Sunday as levy collectors, commonly known as Agberos (louts), hiked transport fares at the Berger Bus Stop.
A PUNCH Metro correspondent who monitored activities at the bus shed on Sunday observed that the agberos were informing incoming drivers from Lagos, who parked to pick up passengers heading to Arepo, Magboro, Ibafo, and Mowe in Ogun State, of the new fare prices.
Passengers, including worshippers and children returning from church, were seen stranded, pleading with drivers to reduce the transport fares.
Our correspondent observed that drivers charged commuters travelling to Mowe a flat fare of up to N1000, regardless of whether passengers intended to alight at any of the stops along the route.
The previous fare prices from the bus stop to the mentioned areas were N300, N400, and N500. However, when our correspondent arrived at the park around 3:00 pm on Sunday, drivers charged up to N1000 for the same journey.
A passenger named Adewale, heading to Arepo, had refused to board a bus charging N700 to Mowe, but was left in shock when the fare was further raised to N1000.
However, he lamented that after the vehicle departed, subsequent buses were instructed by the agberos to start charging N1000 for the trip.
“I was here when they charged N700 for any stop on the way to Mowe and Ibafo. I didn’t board because I thought the agberos would instruct the drivers to lower the price once more buses arrived.
“But unfortunately, as more buses arrived, the agberos kept telling the drivers to raise the fare. I’m shocked. This is pure wickedness,” Adewale lamented.
Joshua, a worshipper, who returned from church, informed our correspondent that the agberos were the main cause of the fare hike and urged authorities to find a lasting solution to the problem.
He said, “These individuals were dictating the fares to the drivers to increase their earnings. As the fares go up, they collect more from the drivers, leaving the passengers to bear the burden.”
A lady, who chose not to reveal her name, lamented the hours she had spent at the park because she couldn’t afford the increased fare.
“I didn’t budget for this when I left home this morning. I’ve been here for hours, and the drivers keep increasing the fares,” she lamented.
When our correspondent discussed the sudden fare hike at the bus stop, a driver who identified himself as Kazeem said he had filled his bus tank with fuel purchased from the black market.
“There’s no fuel available; the queues are too long. The fuel I’m using now was bought at black market prices. Do you expect us to charge the same rates?” Kazeem queried.
