In memo to gov't: Association of interurban transporters threaten strike action if....

In the memo, a copy of which The Guardian Post obtained, the promoters of interurban transport agencies, catalogued their grievances, some of which are decade long. 

The memo contains resolutions arrived at during a meeting they held at the association’s headquarters in Bamenda, February 14. 

The memo is signed by representatives of ten transport agencies viz; Guarantee Express, Vatican Express, Amour Mezam Co. Ltd, Oasis Travels, Moghamo Express Co. Ltd, The People's Express, Nso Boyz Express Sarl, Mondial Express BP, Grand Jeannot Express Co. Ltd and Avenir Mezam BP.

It is copied the governor of the North West Region and the North West Regional Delegates of Trade and Transport. 

APITAC members, through the memo, say they will embark on the strike action, February 29, if urgent solutions are not provided to their worries; especially within the context of increase in the prices of fuel. 

‘We won’t continue sacrificing to maintain social peace’

The transporters warned that they will no longer continue making sacrifices to maintain the country’s social peace at the detriment of their businesses under the current conditions. 

APITAC officials, in the memo,  say they cannot “remain indifferent”, after learning from the social media, of the minister’s correspondence N°0064 /MINCOMMERCE/CAB of February 3, 2024, drawing the attention of Presidents of the urban, periurban and interurban transport unions with the subject: “Unilateral revision of urban, periurban and interurban transport prices by some of your members”, following the increase in fuel prices.

The memo to the minister, they explained, is to share their “observations and grievances”, as well as “apprehensions about the future” of the sector of the economy. 

APITAC officials said they don’t have the same interests to defend as union presidents, most of whose leaders have nothing in their fleets but their briefcases, and who also know nothing of the difficulties and problems they face on a daily basis.

They cited challenges such as seizure of buses by banks and leasing companies for non-payment of outstanding debts or formal notices for late payment of VAT and other taxes.

“As a result, since our creation, some ten years ago, we have been sufficiently equipped to defend our interests ourselves,” they stated categorically. 

While reiterating their unwavering commitment to the search for and preservation of social peace, APITAC officials insisted that sacrifices made to achieve this “should under no circumstances pull us back from the brink of the abyss where we currently find ourselves, only to lead us to the suicide foreshadowed by the fuel price increase of February 3, 2024”. 

They recalled regrettably that on August 12, 2014, following the increase in fuel prices, they had sent a request for approval of the intercity transport price, with hope to have it at 17.16 FCFA excluding taxes, per kilometer.

The price, they noted, according to the studies carried out at the time, could ensure the viability of their business. 

APITAC officials added that in the same correspondence back then, they had informed the minister that “out of concern for social peace and for a precarious balance in our activities, pending the approval of new travel fares, we had proceeded to a slight increase of around 6.88% on average in the fare in force since 2005 as of July 1, 2014”. 

Such a request for approval, they stated, “remains unanswered till date against all odds...".

APITAC members said they have continued to apply the social tariff that they had decided, despite some clashes with their decentralised services.

Projecting increase in transport fares 

The interurban transport officials said, from 2014 to 2024, the two diesel price increases they have experienced have pushed the price per liter from 600 FCFA to 828 FCFA, a relative increase of 38%. 

“With diesel consumption accounting for around 31.75% of our business sales, the impact of these two increases is 12.07%, and only a proportional increase in intercity transport fares will ensure the viability of this more or less social business,” the memo detailed. 

“This increase should raise fares per kilometer from the 17.16 FCFA we proposed in 2014 to the current 19.23 FCFA. And, by way of example, the price of a classic Yaounde-Bamenda fare will be 7,300 FCFA, Bamenda-Douala 6,500 FCFA and Douala-Yaounde 4,800 FCFA,” the release stated. 

They reiterated that as in the past, they remain committed to sacrificing to “maintain social peace in our country”.

They however warned that such “sacrifice will no longer be possible beyond the date of February 29, 2024, as we will be at the end of our tether and will no longer be able to continue this activity under the current conditions”.