With barely a day to the Christmas celebration, motor parks in parts of Kaduna metropolis have witnessed low patronage.
A check by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Kaduna revealed a low turnout of passengers at the respective motor parks visited while several vehicles waited in queue.
Some drivers and officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) said the development was due to the high fuel cost and the country’s economic crunch.
Mr Dauda Ayuba, a commercial driver at Sabo Park, told NAN that a litre of fuel now costs N675, saying that the situation was unbearable for most operators.
“There is fuel almost everywhere, but it is too expensive, and to make ends meet, we have to cope with what we get.
“Usually, on a day to Christmas, the parks would be a beehive of activities with passengers trooping in their numbers, but today is the opposite,” Ayuba added.
Malam Garba Muhammad, a commercial driver at Central Market Motor Park, said he had yet to make a trip to Zaria since he was at the park around 6 am.
“In the previous years, I should have made two trips to and from Zaria,” he said.
Malam Hamadu Isa, another commercial driver at Mando park, noted on his part that there were more empty vehicles at the park than passengers.
“As you see, some drivers are even sleeping in their cars because of the cold waiting for passengers.
“Most people won’t travel for the Christmas festivity like they used to,” Isa said.
Mrs Sarah Musa, a civil servant resident at Karji, told NAN that she used to travel with her family to her village from Kaduna in the previous years, but the situation had changed.
He said, “The low turnout at the parks is coupled with non-payment of salary to workers as such, most people will observe a low-key celebration.
“People are concerned about what to eat and face other demands that come with the beginning of the year.”
Other motor parks visited by NAN, including Command Junction, Mando, and Television Parks, also witnessed the same low turnout of travellers.
