Why We Can’t Reduce Transport Fare — CNG Commercial Drivers

Commercial drivers who have converted their vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) have expressed frustration over the challenges they face accessing CNG at filling stations.

The drivers, who spoke to THE WHISTLER in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), lamented that the scarcity of CNG refilling stations and the low pressure of gas at available stations have hindered them from reducing transport fare for commuters.

Recall that the Federal Government had raised the hopes of commuters, stating that the introduction of the CNG especially in the FCT will cut transportation fares by over 40 per cent.

One of the commercial drivers, Dennis Israel, who disclosed that he paid N650,000 to convert his vehicle to CNG in March, noted that while CNG is more profitable than petrol, the challenge of getting gas is a major setback.

“For example, NIPCO is the only CNG Station around Kubwa Expressway but they don’t sell for 24 hours. So, they start selling by 7am and they close at 7pm. Like today, I came here at 6am and I am still here, five hours later,” he lamented.

Israel, who also stated that they sometimes sleep at the station so as to get an early refill to resume their business, lamented also that there is always “low pressure” at the station which means that drivers can only buy a limited amount of gas, not enough to make a decent profit.

Another driver, Manuel Eze, corroborated Israel’s story, saying he has been waiting in line since 7 am to get gas.

“The pressure is not much, and the refilling stations are not many. Sometimes, this causes issues for us with our wives. The other day, I parked my family from church and we stayed for hours here so that they would see what we are passing through. No woman will be patient to do what we are doing here. We have been here since 7am,” he said.

The drivers appealed to the government to increase the number of CNG refilling stations and improve the supply of gas to meet the growing demand.

They also urged the government to make it easier for drivers to access CNG, just like petrol.

“The government should give us more stations that have the gas just like fuel. For example, if you want fuel, you can drive into any filling station and buy it immediately but this one, you have to stay for hours and will still not get enough,” Eze said.

Andrew Idoko, another driver, noted that the challenges being encountered in accessing the CNG will no doubt affect the federal government’s desire to cut down transport fare.

Idoko acknowledged that some drivers got the CNG kit for free, but that this won’t make them reduce the fare due to time wasted at the station.

“I have stayed here for hours. How many trips am I going to run? If the gas supply is available and someone can just drive in and buy. It will be better. If the federal government tells us to reduce the fare, we will do it without any problem,” he said.

The drivers however emphasised that CNG is better than petrol, but the challenge of accessing it is a major problem.

“CNG is 100 times better than petrol. N3,500 fuel cannot take me to town, but CNG of N3,500 will take me to town two times,” Idoko said.

Why We Can’t Reduce Transport Fare — CNG Commercial Drivers is first published on The Whistler Newspaper