Bamenda: drivers on the verge of increasing transportation costs

By Nukapuh P.

Taxi drivers and bike riders in Bamenda may soon increase transport fare within the city following government’s announced increase in the price of fuel.

Early on Wednesday February 1, all fuel stations in Bamenda changed their prices to the new ones as announced by the government. In an interview with a CNA reporter in Bamenda, some of the taxi drivers said they have no choice, but to move on with the new prices and see how they can add transport fare on some distances.

“The decision has been made already and we the common people can not change it. We may likely increase transport fare on some distances to catch up,” Emmanuel Ngeh, a driver in Bamenda said.

Ngeh added that though passengers will complain, it is obvious that everyone must bear the effects of the decision.

“Normally passengers always complain even before [the increase in fuel prices]. It is their normal thing and they just have to take it like that because we can not bear the effects alone,” another driver says.

Another taxi driver said they are waiting for their union president to decide if they are going to increase transportation costs on some distances or not:

“We are waiting for our president to decide. Normally some distances like City Chemist to Bambili and Mobile Nkwen to Bambili may likely change”.

Mokom Ernest, a bike rider in the city says the increase in fuel price may not really affect him and his colleagues because they don’t have fixed prices:

“We the bike riders we don’t have price for particular distances. It all depends on your arrangements. I can carry someone for 100frs and another person for 200frs on the same distance”.

This is coming at a time when the population of the North West region is faced with a socio-political crisis, the rise in some prices of basic food commodities and other economic hardships.

On January 31, 2023, the government of Cameroon through the Secretary General at the Prime Minister’s office signed a release announcing an increase of 15% in the prices of fuel all over the country.

Read also: Government announces increase in fuel prices, reconsiders minimum wage