By Buba Gagigo
The residents of Brikama Gidda and Dasilameh have called on The Gambia Police Force to intervene as they accused the taxi drivers of increasing fare by themselves.
“This issue at some point, I think it might go out of hand because what happened is the Youth want to make sure they follow all protocols; but their efforts are being frustrated. The police are intervening, but they are not doing enough. They are there for a meeting and they are told the tariff is D10.
“They are now only taking a town trip to Gidda. You can even see the Youth are not happy with that and they want to take the law into their own hands by stopping the taxi drivers from plying the road to Gidda. Their efforts are being frustrated. The police and the transport union should come to their aid. It started before Ramadan, and it continues during Ramadan. But right now, give it one or two weeks, I will predict Faraba scenario,” one of the commuters and residents of Brikama Gidda, Ebrima KB Sonko told Kerr Fatou on Monday
Ebrima called on The Gambia Transport Union and The Gambia Police Force to intervene before unwanted things happened.
“Poliso Magazine and Gambia Transport UNION, this is a potential crisis you should mitigate before things get worse. The Taxi drivers are charging D15 instead of the D10 tariff, according to the new tariff. The Youth went to the Brikama Police Station, but the SO and the Commissioner could not come to their aid. The Police should do their job, and one of their functions is to implement the law. Why are they doing little in this case? Both the Transport Union substation in Brikama and the Police attest that the town taxi tariff is D10. So why are the taxi drivers hell bent on charging D15?
“These greedy taxi drivers were charging D10, instead of the D8 and the people of Gidda were paying. But now that they want to increase the fare to D15, the youth of Gidda will not accept such economic looting,” he stated on Facebook on Monday.
Another person who ply the Brikama-Dasilameh highway, Ismaila Fadera told Kerr Fatou: “Now you have to walk a distance of about five hundred meters to the main highway in order to get access to the market or the garage. It’s definitely not helping the residents of both Gidda and Dasilameh. The drivers are to be blame because, if you want all you lose all. You cannot charge from the taxi garage to that Kabilo for D15.”
The president of The Gambia Transport Union (GTU) Omar Ceesay said he has told everyone that the fare is D10 but cannot do anything when people have their own arrangements.
“The last fare was D8 but people were paying D10. The people from Dasilameh then appealed for the fare to be reduced to D9. Both Dasilameh and Gidda are off the road, but Gidda is farer than Dasilameh. Town taxi is D10. When fares were increased, I understand the drivers increased it to D15. I am part of the Dasilameh development forum. When people started asking about the fare, I shared the tariff with them. When I went to the radios, people called and asked and I repeated to them that the town taxi is D10. I will tell them that what we agreed with the government is D10; but if people have their personal arrangements that is left to them. But as far as I know, the town taxi is D10,” Omar Ceesay said.
Efforts to talk to the police proved futile. The new tariff seen by Kerr Fatou shows that Brikama Garage to Gidda or Dasilameh costs D10.
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