The residents of Jos have called on the government of Plateau to extend the present 6.p m. daily closing time for tricycle (Keke Napep) riders in the state capital to 9 p.m.
Some of the residents made the demand in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Jos.
They noted that the extension would address some of hardship they are currently facing, especially within the Jos-Bukuru metropolis.
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NAN reports that the state government had in August reviewed the closing time for operators of tricycles from 9 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
The government cited insecurity for taking the decision.
However, Mr Job Manja, a musician, said that the decision had been telling on the people as residents that closed late from work and business places suffered to get to their houses.
He noted that a lot of people got stranded once ”it is 6 p.m due to the review.
“It’s rendering innocent live vulnerable because once it’s 6 p.m., people get stranded and there are places that taxis can’t reach.
“Government should reconsider its decision and put up strong mechanism of handling insecurity,” he said.
Mrs Mary Azi, a petty trader, said that the review had affected her business.
”This review has affected our business. Keke is our major means of transportation but we are now suffering because they close at 6 p.m.
“This is also forcing us to close our shops before closing time and you know that most traders make brisk business in the evenings.
“I find it very hard to move because taxis don’t ply my route and if you see any, the charges are very high
“I want to appeal to government to add one hour to the operators to ease the suffering of commuters,” she said
Similarly, Mr John Dung, a resident, called on the operators of tricycle to be law abiding and report the bad eggs among them to the security agencies.
“I want to call on the riders to operate within the stipulated rules and regulations to avoid causing problems to the society.
“They should fish out the bad eggs among them and hand them over to the security agencies.
“That way, there will be sanity and everybody will be happy,” he said.
Also, Mr Akin Gbenga, a tricycle rider, called on government to reverse to the closing time of 9 p.m. to enable them to make more money.
He explained that majority of riders acquired their tricycles on higher purchase arrangement, “while others drive it for others, hence they need more time to make more money in to pay up.
“We call on government to, as a matter of urgent public importance, to review the operation time for our good and generality of the people,” he pleaded.
But Mr Kwarsen Linus, commended government over for the decision, insisting that it had curtailed crimes and criminality in the state.
“It is a good development because it has reduced the rate at which tricycles are used to commit crimes,” he said.
Linus, however, called on government to provide more taxis to operate at nights to ease the sufferings of commuters.
He called on government to ensure that all the operators are registered and that their data are captured.
(NAN)
