By Ibrahim S. Bangura
Passengers, who ply to and from Freetown and Lungi, have said that increase in the fare to board the Ferries at the Kissy Terminal has affected their movements, therefore impacting mostly the traders.
This came about after the management (MV Great Scarcies Navigation SL. Ltd. and Afrimpex Navigation SL. Ltd) of the Kissy Ferry Terminal on August 2, 2023 increased the First Class Ticket from Le 37,000 to Le 43,000, Second Class Ticket from Le 20,000 to le 23,000, Jeep/Van from le 162,000 to le 188,000 car from le 135,000 to le 156,000, motor bike from Le 37,000 to Le 43,000; Keke from Le 108,000 to Le 125,000, etc.
Currently, the M.V. Mahera and M.V. Murzuk Ferries are plying to and from Freetown five times a day: 8:30 am, 11:30 am, 2:30 pm, 5: 30 pm and 8: 30 pm.
Talking to this medium, Mariama Kamara, who trades in farm produce from Lungi to Freetown, said that she used to transport cassava, groundnut, and other farm produces to Freetown for sale.
She said that she used to do that four days in a week, but increment in the transportation fare has limited her to only one day per week.
She said that, that has not only affected her as a trader but has also affected her family having been that she is the breadwinner. “I am a mother of four children who are all students. Schools are soon to resume, and I have to buy school materials for my children. Now, it is very difficult for me to even provide food for them since I am not effectively trading as I used to. We used to pay le 20,000 for the second class Ferry, but we are now paying le 23,000. I used to pay le 6,000 for a bag of groundnut and le 7,000 for a bag of cassava, but all have been increased to le 17,000. Paying all these tolls will not earn me anything but loses,” she explained.
Kamara stated that many traders in Lungi have stopped to coming to Freetown to do business due to transportation fare and taxes they used to pay for their goods before they could get to the markets.
Amara Sillah, a passenger, on behalf of colleague passengers, appealed to the management to reduce the rate of the transport fares so as to ease their movements.
He said, “We all know the situation in the country, but masses are suffering at this terminal. Many of us cannot live without travelling to Freetown and Lungi. So increasing transportation fare here is greatly affecting us.”
