By Ibrahim S. Bangura
Mini-buses commonly known as “Poda-Podas”, taxis and three-wheelers commonly known as “Kekehs” which are the means of commercial transport in Freetown, are engage in a trend of exploiting commuters without reasonable consideration to limited income of the average Sierra Leonean.
Premier News spoke with some commuters who usually ply the routes from Brima Lane, Wellington, Calaba Town, and Grafton to Eastern Police on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. They said that commercial vehicle operators demand excess fares.
Fatmata Sillah trades at the market at Guard Street, in the east of Freetown popularly known as Doves’ Cot. She pays Le 8,000 from Brima Lane to Guard Street.
“The ‘Poda-Poda’ drivers usually demand from us Le 4,000 from Brima Lane to the roundabout at ‘Up-gun’, and Le 4,000 from there to Dove Cot. They will never allow us to on board their vehicles if we don’t pay that amount. Presently, I am unable to save any profit from sales which could enable me to take care of my family in the end. All I have been earning from sales I have been spending on just transportation,” she explained.
She added that she used to sustain her family from selling cups of Gari and Rice, but that the recent hike in the cost of transport fares has increased her spending on transportation.
“I am selling Garie and Rice at Doves’ Cot Market in order to sustain my family. But because I am spending all the profits I am earning from sales on transportation, I am unable to provide food for my three children, my mother and my two sisters for over three weeks now,” she explained.
According to her, by price list put out by the Ministry of Transport and Aviation commuters are supposed to pay Le 4,000 from Brima Lane to Guard Street, but instead she pays Le 8,000 for “Poda-Poda”, Le 15,000 for taxis and Le 20, 000 for Rickshaw.
Foday Amadu Kamara, another passenger, who plies from Grafton to Eastern Police, said that the drivers are recently demanding Le 15,000 from Grafton to Eastern Police. He said, “From Grafton to Eastern Police, the prices are not stable. The drivers will sometimes ask us to pay Le 15,000 and Le 18,000 instead of Le 7,000. This is affecting us mostly those who cannot afford to pay the amounts.”
According to Kamara, the exploitation had been happening as a result of the drivers’ union inability to monitor and regulate the drivers. “We are calling on the authorities concerned to intervene so as to help the poor masses amidst this hard situations in Freetown.”
Alhajie Kargbo, a driver who plies from Grafton to Eastern Police, said that the increase in the price of fuel, harassment from the traffic wardens and the police have caused them to make increase in the transportation fares from those ends to Eastern Police.
“We are now buying a liter of fuel Le 30,000. Sometimes we cannot even get it even if we have money. Our licenses are checked more than ten times a day by the police and the traffic wardens. We are always ‘booking’ to the police and to the unions in the parks, we are paying our masters, among other challenges. How would they expect us to sustain our families amidst all these challenges? We have no choice, but to make increase in the transportation fares so as to realize something at the end,” he said.
Talking to Momodu Koroma, the Vice President of the Motor Drivers and General Transport Workers Union spoke to Premier News and promised to find a possible solutions between the drivers and the passengers.
He added that amidst the current situation, they would not encourage any driver to exploit the masses through excessive transport fare. “Transportation is very key to any country. Seeing our masses finding it very difficult in accessing vehicles to get to their various work of places, it is as well affecting us. But everything is going to be fine,” he concluded.