CityFile checks at the various motor parks in the city also revealed increase in the number of commuters travelling for the yuletide. However, transport fare remains stable, which is a shift from past experiences.
Chinonso Agbai, coordinator, Abia Line, disclosed that a greater percentage of people travelling are students and Corps members, as parents have started sending their children home to avoid being trapped by high transport fares.
He, however, expressed hope that the volume of passengers would increase starting this weekend.
Agbai however, noted that they had more passengers during this period last year, and attributed it to insecurity. He explained that people left Aba in droves last year as a result of insecurity, occasioned by kidnapping and other heinous crimes.
Ephraim Okorie, a staff of Port Harcourt City Transport Company, affirmed that people started travelling for the yuletide from last week. He also revealed that transport fare on that route remains stable at N400 for a bus ride, noting that they do not have the intention of increasing fare so as not to scare away travellers.
A visit to some transport companies like Abia Line, Abia City, Peace Mass, Imo Transport Company plc, Young Shall Grow Motors, among others, showed that they have more passengers to neighbouring towns like Owerri, Onitsha, Awka, Calabar, Uyo, Okigwe and Enugu than those travelling to Lagos and Abuja, an indication that people are now moving to their villages for the yuletide.
Adaora Igwe, a traveller, told CityFile that she was travelling to Umuahia for a camp meeting, while Jonathan Emenike said he was travelling for his traditional marriage.
CityFile checks however, showed that more people are leaving the city than those coming in.
