Commercial bus and taxi drivers at the Mile 3 routes in Rivers state are calling on the state government to slash their daily tax which has now been increased to N300.
The commercial bus and taxi drivers operating at the mile 3 route said paying a daily fee of N300 would send them out of business.
Some of the drivers who spoke with newsmen described the increment of the fee which started with N150 to N300 as highly unfair and unacceptable. As a result of this hike, they embarked on a protest, shut down the gate of the park and refused to work since Monday.
They also disclosed to newsmen that the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at the mile 3 motor park have converted the motor park to market so as to improve revenue in the area.
One of the drivers said, ” Make government help us make everywhere to be park. Make market go away from inside park. The national union working with us here, they have taken this park as their own market center, so nothing is moving for this area”.
Another added, ” We ask that government should come and help us. If this place is a motor park, let us convert it to a motor park. If it is a market, let the government prepare another place to serve as a motor park for us, so we can go there and do our business while the place will remain as a market and that is why we have started this protest”.
Mr Glory Nnokam, Deputy Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Npkolu-Oroworukwo Motor Park, Mile 3, Port Harcourt when contacted, said the matter of raising the daily fee at the park has been resolved since Monday and wondered why the drivers are protesting about it.
