MANY travellers left stranded at bus terminals in the northern regions have flocked to Nehale Lya Mpingana Railway Station at Ondangwa on Monday to find rail transport to their intended destinations.

Since Friday last week, many travellers have been camping and sleeping at bus terminals in the hope of finding buses travelling to their destinations.

This has, however, been to no avail for many, as most buses were already filled to capacity.

The buses could not meet the demand for transport as many people visiting the north are travelling back to their workplaces ahead of the reopening of schools this week.

One of the travellers, Aune Shithigona, said she has been sleeping at a service station at Oshakati for about three days with no luck to get a bus travelling to Windhoek, where she works as a cleaner.

"We came rushing here hoping to get space on the train, but when we got here we found so many people queued up already," she said.

"It's frustrating because there are no buses, or bus drivers will tell you they are only attending to those who made reservations early."

Shithigona is one of many people who will likely miss work this week due to a shortage of transport by bus from the north.

"I was supposed to start work on Monday, but clearly I will have to miss some days until I get transport back to Windhoek," Shithigona said.

Natangwe Eliakim said the situation has worsened, because bus drivers are taking advantage of desperate travellers by charging exorbitant fares.

"Bus drivers are now charging us N$600 to Windhoek, which is way too high.

"Where will I get such money to pay for a trip? This is pure madness. I was hoping to get space on the train, but the train is also full to capacity. I'm disappointed, really," he said.

Bus tickets from central northern Namibia to Windhoek normally costs N$350 per passenger.

Train tickets are N$200 per passenger.

Travellers stranded at Oshakati and Ondangwa are now resorting to sleeping at bus terminals in the hope of getting on the next empty bus.