Travellers going to Torit from Nimule[Photo| Lioto Samuel]
By Lioto Samuel
NIMULE, 27 December 2015[Gurtong]- Many of the travellers have been seen resorting to using lorries and vans as they are deemed cheaper than the buses..
Tiondi Arnold, a security guard said that he was to travel to Torit from Nimule, but could not owing to the hiked fare which will leave him use all his salary for transport.
“My salary is 600 South Sudanese pounds, and if I board a bus, I will simply be reaching home with nothing in my hands. Thus I have to wait for these charcoal Lorries, which will at least charge me 300 South Sudanese pounds,” said Tiondi.
Transport fares have doubled from the previous 250-300 South Sudanese pounds to about 500-600 South Sudanese pounds.
The security situation along the Torit and Kajo Keji routes has been seen as a contributing factor to the hiked fares.
Umbi Jonal, a father of four said that he has chosen to spend the festive season in Nimule with his family.
“We came from Yei through Oraba border because of the bad road network between Juba and Yei. We thought that we will find better transport system from here, but I am surprised that the public cars are charging 200 pounds per person. This is ridiculous” he said.
Many lorry owners have however, taken the opportunity to milk money from the travelers, since the traffic police have given them a go ahead in bridging the transport gap for the two weeks festive holiday.