The Nigerian Railway Corporation(NRC) has barred passengers wishing to patronise the Narrow gaude, Lagos Mass Transit Train (LMTT) service from using old naira notes to purchase tickets.
This is as it said, only passengers with new N1,000, N500 notes and other smaller denominations can purchase tickets at a flat rate of N460 per passenger destined for Iddo from Ijoko and Iddo.
Consequently, passengers with the old naira denominations except N50, N100 and N200, are now allowed to purchase tickets forcing many to return back to their homes last Thursday while those who could afford the exorbitant fares charged by commercial bus drivers and taxis opted for the road mode.
The directive to accept only new naira notes from passengers is coming after last Monday’s two and half hour delay of the Kajola/Ijoko to Iddo Lagos Mass Transit Train service due to the initial insistence of management to collect new naira notes which was later reversed.
LEADERSHIP findings, however, shows that, since commencement of enforcement of the new regime to collect only new naira notes from intending passengers last Thursday, only few passengers boarded the train from Kajola/Ijoko to Iddo and back.
It was observed that, the two daily Lagos mass transit trains from Kajola/Ijoko to Iddo had few passengers on board the trains as many passengers did not have access to the new naira notes.
One of the regular passengers of Lagos mass transit train service, Mr. Ojo Lateef said, the railway is a social service and should not be operating as a private sector organization.
