Some commercial drivers plying the Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Highway have called on the relevant authorities to allow cash payments at the Garaku Toll Plaza, rather than the electronic mode being adopted.
The commercial drivers made their feelings known in separate interviews with newsmen in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Friday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the federal government began the tolling of the 227.2 kilometres Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Highway on Tuesday.
Since then, some motorists, especially commercial drivers, have been having difficulties adjusting to the mode of payment at the toll plaza before their vehicles are allowed to pass.
Mr Aliyu Zubairu, a commercial driver, said he was uncomfortable with the electronic mode of payment because of the time delay it caused, leading to complaints and pressure from passengers.
“Honestly, I kick against this method. It is time wasting and not okay for us, drivers and passengers. Every time you come here, you have to wait and wait till the transaction is complete. It is not the best method, honestly,” he said.
Mr Dantala Mengse, another commercial driver who plies the route, said network issues when paying could lead to heavy traffic jam if management of the toll plaza continued to insist on electronic mode of payment only.
“It is one of the reasons for the heavy traffic hold up we had yesterday. People kept waiting and waiting and the hold up kept increasing partly because others were waiting for one person to finish paying so others could pay,” he said.
He added that the N1000 being charged for mini buses was high and appealed for a reduction to N500.
Mr Auwalu Mohammed, another driver, said he and some other drivers do not have Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards thereby creating confusion for both driver and passengers in their vehicles.
“A lot of us don’t have ATM cards. So, yesterday we had to beg our passengers to pay on our behalf and we refunded them.
“That alone caused delay and traffic hold up. I urge the authorities in charge to look into the issue,” he said.
Mr Uwem Ekpewoh, a passenger, also urged the management of the tolling plaza to introduce other payment methods and not rely on electronic method alone.
He also called for more security at the toll plaza to maintain law and order.
“This current situation is an accident waiting to happen. I was expecting to see heavy security presence, but that is not the case.
“Because of this payment arrangement, people have been stuck here for a while, and if this continues like this, some will get violent. So, adequate security should be provided for these toll plazas,” he said.
Mr Olajide Oduyoye, General Manager of Catamaran, the company in charge of tolling at the plaza, blamed unpreparedness of motorists for the frustrations they were experiencing.
He said this was despite the fact that managers of the toll gates held several public awareness engagements in 2024 to get the public prepared for what to expect when tolling commences.
“A lot of them were now quite surprised that they had to pay a toll, despite the fact that a lot of enlightenment had already been done.
“We announced the cashless method of payment through several media outlets and social media for a long time and throughout 2024.
“Yet, some people will claim they are not aware, while some who are aware will just choose to ignore it when they come here. I must say that a lot of motorists are willing to pay, but the cashless policy is what took them unawares.
“This is the first national tolling road where cash is not accepted, and there is a reason for that because cash brings all sorts of security and safety issues for the cash itself and for the people that work. So, it’s a good policy from that point of view,” he said.
Oduyoye, who urged motorists plying the route to get used to the fact that they would not be able to pay cash at the toll plazas or gates, called for maximum cooperation from motorists.
“There are some truckers and bus drivers who would just come and unilaterally refuse to pay and block the lanes. Once they do that, they delay others queuing behind them. Some always claim they don’t have ATM cards but they do have.
“Secondly, our impatience is very pronounced. So, a little patience is important. I just want to appeal to road users to be very patient. We just started.
“No matter what, with anything new there will be teething problems, but our plan is that in the next few days, the process will improve,” he said.
He revealed that a cashless card called “Touch and Go Card” worth N10, 000 had already been made available for motorists who could afford it.
“For this card, when you get to the point of passage, you put the card at a designated point and you are allowed to pass,” he said.
