Commercial drivers in the Barnersville and Gardnerville areas along Somalia Drive have parked their cars in demand of reduction of gasoline prices.There was no traffic observed in Barnersville on Tuesday, 23 October, which is not normal for the early part of a week when workers, business people and students are in line for commercial vehicles to get to their various destinations.
Many commercial drivers took their vehicles off the roads Tuesday, making Barnersville and Gardnerville areas to appear like ghost town.In an interview with this paper Tuesday, a Taxi driver called Moses Togba says he will not put his car on the road until the gas price drops.
According to Mr. Togba, he bought a gallon of gas at the price of $700.00 Liberian Dollars on Monday, 22 October.Mr. Togba alarms that this price is too high for a gallon of gas.“We know that gas is in this country; all the big gas stations are keeping their gas so we the commercial drivers can suffer,” Mr. Togba expresses his suspicion as saying.
He complains that he can’t spend $3,500.00 Liberian Dollars on five gallons of gas for just one day, stressing that it is too much for this “Pro – poor” era that Liberians are in.Moses is concerned that if he spends so much money to buy gasoline, passengers will not be willing to adjust to increased transport fares from commercial drivers, especially passengers along Barnersville route.
Given the challenges at hand, Mr. Togba thinks that it is better to park his car than to find himself arguing with passengers after purchasing gas at high price.Sam Johnson is another driver who says that his car will be parked until the government intervenes.
He expresses fear that the rise in prices of goods here daily will really suffer Liberians, saying government needs to do something very quickly to help the citizens.Meanwhile, the drivers lament that they have been denied access to buy gas from the top gas stations, except the petite traders.
According to the commercial drivers, gasoline shortage here is causing serious problem to their business, stressing that they commercialize transportation to take care of their families.–Edited by Winston W. Parley
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