Increase in transport fare: Another hardship to Anglophone crisis victims
By Nukapuh P.
As the government of Cameroon approves increase in transport fares all over the country, persons living in the Anglophone regions who are already troubled by the crisis will bear the brunt, more than any other.
On Tuesday February 7, 2023, Cameroon’s minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana chaired a meeting with Transport Trade Unions, where they agreed to increase transport fares on both interurban and taxis.
Few days after the decision, some inhabitants of Bamenda in the North West region have described the decision as another burden to the numerous hardships that they are going through.
According to madam Caroline, a business woman in Bamenda, the government is heartless to the population of the North West region.
“I can’t even believe how somebody will sit in his office and just increase prices without reasoning. With the crisis and bad roads in Bamenda, all they can do is to add transport fare,” Caroline said
Talking to CNA reporter, the business lady went ahead to add that the government has done its part and it’s now left between passengers and taxi drivers to fight.
“To transport my goods to the market now is going to be a difficult task because the government has given the go ahead to drivers, so they are going to task us as they like, especially with the roads situation”
While on his part, Tita Desmond says the government is simply pushing some people in the North West region to steal, especially as prices of consumer products have also increased.
“How did we even reach here? That within a year 500frs has added on the price of oil, tray egg and many others. But now the government has added transport fares. People like us in Bamenda with all the lockdowns and ghost towns. Some people are yet to recover from the crisis and now comes economic hardships,” Tita lamented.
As many ponder on how to cope with the socio-political crisis and the economic hardships in the region, it is of course normal to some people because prices of fuel already witnessed an increase.
On January 31, 2023, the Secretary General at the Prime Minister’s office signed a decree announcing increase in the prices of fuel all over the country. Transport Trade Unions responded with a petition to the government, demanding an increase in transport fares.
On February 7, Trade minister held a meeting with some transport union leaders in Cameroon, where they anonymous agreed that taxi fare will increase from 250frs to 300frs by day and from 300frs to 350frs by night.
For interurban fares, children from 0 to 6 years old are free with no charges, while 7 to 11 years will be charged 7frs per kilometer. 12 to 21 years old will be charged 9frs per kilometer and 22 years and above 14frs a kilometer. They concluded that person living with disabilities will be charged 7frs a kilometer.
