The free practice journey providers of the Federal Authorities, which commenced on December 21, 2023, has ended on Sunday (yesterday) with many Nigerians lamenting over their incapacity to learn.
Checks by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that whereas the free practice journey lasted, lots of the passenger trains left and arrived their locations with empty seats even when tickets for such journeys had been absolutely offered out.
For a lot of intending passengers, their incapacity to guide on-line was right down to the truth that there was no ticket out there on the cyber house as a result of the tickets have all been allegedly absolutely booked.
To additional compound the woes of those set of passengers, the refusal of the Nigerian Railway Company (NRC) to promote tickets on the practice stations made life insufferable for them as many watched trains depart and arrive totally different practice stations with out with the ability to board as a result of they’d no tickets for such journeys.
Disclosing her expertise on X (previously twitter), an intending passenger wrote, “I used to be crammed with happiness and gratitude to the Federal Authorities when it was introduced that practice journeys can be freed from cost throughout this festive interval. I used to be already interested by how I’d take my household of six to my city in Oyo for Christmas and new yr.
“My earlier association was banked on the Federal Authorities’s promised wage awards of N35,000, however even regular wage was not paid not to mention the wage awards. We had been paid solely as soon as for the month of September and I don’t know when others can be paid or if it might be paid in any respect. You’ll be able to think about how blissful I used to be to get my household to Ibadan with out paying for it!
“I attempted to guide tickets on-line nevertheless it was absolutely booked. We postponed the journey and the next day, it was absolutely booked once more. Then, we wakened early within the morning the next day and obtained to the practice station earlier than daybreak. We hoped to guide tickets on the station however they informed me it was absolutely booked once more.
“As I stood perplexed, an official informed me he might assist me get the tickets if I used to be keen to pay a token. I requested how wouldn’t it be doable when the seats had been completely booked? He replied that he knew somebody who had already booked however is not any extra travelling. Then I understood!
“Some employees of the NRC who had been aware about the time the reserving portal can be out there would have booked all out there areas with the intention of promoting the tickets to determined travellers like myself. In that approach, they might make some cash and the acclaimed free journey wouldn’t be free however fares decreased. I left disenchanted.”
Within the phrases of one other practice passenger, Modinat Ibrahim, “I used to be touring again from Ibadan to Lagos with my youngsters on January 1, I’d resume to work the next day so I attempted reserving the free practice seats. It was absolutely booked! Then somebody informed me there have been three seats left for Ibadan to Abeokuta, so I booked the seats with the intention of alighting in Abeokuta and proceed my journey by business buses. Nonetheless, I observed that many of the seats had been empty, so I made a decision to not alight in Abeokuta however proceed the journey. “After Papa Lantoro, I observed that the seats had been nonetheless empty. The truth is, the entire plenty of us who had been passengers within the practice couldn’t refill solely two coaches. The remaining seats of six coaches had been empty. Having realised what occurred, I made a decision to take these photos!”
When Nigerian Tribune contacted the Managing Director of the NRC, Fidet Okhiria on why there are not any ticket gross sales on the practice stations through the free practice interval, the NRC boss replied that, “We intentionally cancelled ticket gross sales on the practice stations through the free ticket interval as a result of we don’t need to have chaotic scenes at our stations.
“As a result of the service is free, if we had offered tickets on the practice stations, we might have had folks throng the stations in massive numbers, resulting in chaotic scenes at our practice stations. So, to keep away from such scenario, we cancelled ticket gross sales on the practice stations through the free practice interval and requested everyone to guide on-line.”
On why trains left their locations with empty seats even when tickets had been absolutely offered out for such journeys, the NRC boss defined that, “You understand we don’t management ticket gross sales onboard our trains. It was outsourced to a 3rd social gathering. The ticket gross sales for our trains have been concessioned to an organization, so the NRC will not be in cost.
“Nonetheless, now we have been in a position to determine that some “insiders” purchased a number of tickets on-line with the intent of re-selling to passengers on the practice stations. Once I say insiders, I imply employees of both the NRC or our associate, the China Civil Engineering Building Company (CCECC).
“We’re nonetheless investigating and can tackle the media as soon as we’re achieved. Some insiders have been discovered to have purchased as much as 20 tickets on-line. Why they purchased a number of tickets continues to be not clear to us however we’re investigating. That’s why lots of the free practice journey left their locations half-filled with passengers even when tickets for such journeys have been absolutely offered out,” he mentioned.
When contacted, an official of the CCECC, Austin Mao, promised to get again to the Nigerian Tribune on the matter.
Nonetheless, he was but to get again to as on the time of submitting on this report.