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Liberia: Avoiding Drivers' Strike in Future
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The NEWS (Monrovia)
EDITORIAL
8 July 2008
Posted to the web 8 July 2008
Business activities got off to a disruptive start on Monday when commuters were stranded as commercial drivers kept their vehicles off the streets in protest against new transport fares released by the government.
Many commuters walked for miles on a 30 to 45-minute-drive journey to get to their various destinations.
The government had, few days ago, released "new transport fares" with an increment of L$5 on previous fares for some distances and L$10 for others.
But prior to the government-stipulated new fares, commercial drivers unilaterally charged commuters exorbitantly, in some cases, as high as 90% increment in transport fares.
The drivers cited the frequent fluctuation in fuel prices as reason for their unilateral fare increment. And interestingly, the drivers did have a field day for several weeks, much to the exploitation of the ordinary commuters.
And therefore, government's latest intervention to regulate fares came at a time when the drivers had gotten accustomed to impunity for unilateral fare hikes to the extent that they had to challenge the regulatory intervention.
But as much as the drivers' strike action which has the propensity of undermining national stability is deplorable, a finger should be pointed at the government for acting very slow in its regulatory intervention.
The principal reason for unacceptable unilateral fare hikes is the fluctuation in fuel prices. As such, whenever an increment in fuel prices would necessitate an increment in transport fares, such increments must be announced concomitantly in advance.
Likewise, whenever an increment in fuel prices would not necessitate an increment in transport fares such must also be announced concomitantly in advance.
A silence on transport fares in the wake of fuel price increment in either situation usually leaves the commuting public to the mercy of commercial drivers.
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And when the silence is prolonged in the midst of unilateral fare hikes by commercial drivers, government's intervention afterwards creates an avoidable problem as was witnessed on Monday.
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