Kumba: Suspension of Mondial Express leaves thousands of travelers stranded.

Thousands of travelers have been left stranded in Kumba, the headquarter of Meme Division.

 In addition to this, an estimated 500 workers of the travel agency are out of work. Some other travel agencies in the city have in reaction to the situation, increased fares.

The situation, it should be said, follows the involvement of one of the agency’s buses in an accident on June 25, 2024, at the Dschang Cliff in Menoua Division of the West Region.

It claimed six lives and left 22 others injured. The driver of the said bus, Fongo Joel, is also said to be admitted in a health facility.

Population of Ndian, Meme divisions feeling pinch 

In the meantime, the population of Ndian and Meme Divisions are the most affected, following the suspension. 

These Divisions host people from other parts of the country, who find it difficult travelling to visit relatives or engage in other ventures.

Some of those The Guardian Post spoke to, said they are now forced to pay additional fares to get to Buea and Douala, before boarding vehicles for the North West and West Regions.

Thousands of students who were also expected to travel to Meme and Ndian Divisions or those who were supposed to leave the areas to other parts of the country for holiday are also in a fix. 

Most parents say it is difficult to cope with the extra requirements of travelling to other towns before boarding other vehicles that will take them to their destinations.

K’ba Assistant Branch Manager counts loses 

According to the Assistant Branch Manager of Mondial Express in Kumba, Jean Ngwa, the ban has put at least 500 workers out of employment.

In addition, Ngwa said thousands of passengers who are stranded at the agency for lack of any means of transportation have become a new burden. 

He told The Guardian Post that they are battling to provide stranded travelers with temporary accommodations.

Besides stranded travelers, Ngwa said families of employees, in addition to those who survive thanks to petty businesses around various branches of the travel agency nationwide, have also been put out of business.

Corrections underway, plea for revision of sanction

In the meantime, he said the Management of Mondial Express has engaged measures to prevent such an unfortunate incident from happening again.

Ngwa appealed to the Minister of Transport to listen to the cry of clients and travelers nationwide, who can only access Kumba thanks to Mondial Express.

He cited cities such as Yaounde, Douala, Nkongsamba and Bamenda, where Mondial Express is the only agency that transports people from there to Kumba and Meme Division in general.

Temporary alternative to help travelers 

The Assistant Branch Manager also disclosed that the management of Mondial Express has sought the services of Douala-based travel agency, Keyla Express Company Ltd, to assist stranded passengers.

Responding to transport minister’s demands

In line with prescriptions in the minister’s release of June 28, suspending the agency, Ngwa disclosed that they are already engaged with the competent services of the Ministry of Transport to build the capacity of the company’s drivers. 

He also indicated that they have begun inspecting and assessing the state of all vehicles to ensure they are road worthy.

First major accident, first ban since creation of agency

For his part, Danjuma Ibrahim Oumarou, one of the oldest drivers at Mondial Express, said the June 25 accident was the first since the creation of the agency in 2002. 

Oumarou also regretted that it is the first time they are suffering from such a ban. 

He pleaded with authorities to reconsider the suspension of the travel agency.

The story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3157 of Wednesday July 3, 2024