Some commuters were stranded in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday , as commercial taxi and bus drivers and commercial motorcyclists jostled to buy the Premium Motor Spirit otherwise called petrol.
The motorists scrambled for fuel in most filling stations where the products were being sold with long queues of vehicles in most of the filling stations within the state capital .
Visits around Ibadan showed that some filling stations were shut down while the others are besieged with long queues of Okada riders , private and commercial drivers.
Commercial transport operators doubled transport fares as a result of the hike . BCJ bus stop to Oke Ado , which hitherto was between N 70 and N 80 is now for N 150.
Transport fare from Wire and Cable to Oja Oba , which was N 120 had increased to N 250 . The situation is also similar in places like Ijokodo , Sango , Bodija , Agodi Gate, Iwo Road, Monatan , Eleyele, and Ologuneru .
Some of the major petrol marketers along the Ijokodo , Eleyele – Sango Road , including Total, Conoil , and Oando were not dispensing as of the time of filing this report.
However, some filling stations were dispensing their products at Apata, Odo Ona area as well as the Mobil filling station located at Awolowo Road, Bodija.
Filling stations along the Agodi Gate/ Iwo Road, Ologuneru , Eleyele and Monatan are still experiencing long queues as of the time of filing this report on Monday.
During peak hours on Monday as students , civil servants , and business owners struggled to catch up with time , transporters engaged in brisk business as they made arbitrary charges .
Many people were stranded in the process as they were unable to afford the high cost of transport fares.
A student , Sherifat Balogun , who said she paid N 100 to Odo Ona from Apata , said , “ I cannot understand what led to the increase in transport fare . My parents gave me N 100 to and fro which means that I should be paying N 50 to Odo Ona and N 50 back . ”
A trader at Aleshinloye market , Adeolu Oladiipo , while relating his experience to our correspondent in Ibadan on Monday , said , “This week started for me and my family on a strenuous note . I left home with my wife and children in the car with my fuel in reserve.
“I was shocked when told at the first filling station that there was no fuel . I was not comfortable as I had just a little fuel left in the car . On getting to the second and filling station , there was no fuel . I was happy that I was able to convey my children to school before scouting round town for black market which was sold to me for N 250 per litre. ”
