Liberia’s new transport fare and matters arising 

It seems logical for that transportation fares to rise whenever the price of petroleum increases.

However, if this policy is not properly regulated, people motivated to make abnormal profits will always take advantage of the situation to the detriment of most citizens.

In Liberia, whenever prices of gasoline increase, commercial drivers swiftly increase transportation fares at their discretion without consulting the country’s transport authority. 

The Ministry of Transport is the government entity responsible for formulating and administering Liberia’s transport, insurance, and maritime regulations and policies.

It has been observed that throughout this year, there has been a hike in transportation fares. 

But on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, Facebook users in Liberia’s news feeds were flooded with messages that the transport ministry had raised the transportation fare, reducing the prices of transportation in Montserrado County.

The information was received with excitement from Liberians, showing how much people want transportation fares to come down. 

One of the persons who disseminated the information was Patrick Honnah, a Commissioner of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority. The information was also seen here and here.

Honnah’s post, which announced the reduction  with multiple images, also reported  the Minister  of Transport as saying, “A team of transport inspectors will be out beginning Monday to ensure full compliance.”

There have since been several twists and turns.

DUBAWA contacted the Director of Press and Public Affairs of the Ministry of Transport, but he described the information as “fake.”

According to Shadrach Brown, since the ministry put out a new transportation fare in August 2024, it has not published any new fares. 

He furthered that the viral transportation fare put out has contradictions, saying, “It is not the same as the one we [the ministry] have published.”

“I have seen a portion of the new transport fare in circulation, and there is no arbitrary fare. Ours have arbitrary, and the figures are exact,” Brown said. 

According to Brown, the arbitrary price is the price that is not set up by the transport ministry but by commercial drivers using their discretion. 

DUBAWA then reached out to Commissioner Honnah on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, to provide the source of his information, and he said, “The Minister of Transport, Sirleaf Tyler, shared it with me.”

DUBAWA then informed Honnah of what the transport Ministry, through its communication director, had said about the news of new transportation fares, but he insisted, 

“He (Minister Tyler) shared it with me just last week. If you contact him, and he tells you he didn’t share it with me, don’t respect me.”

Commissioner Honnah then shared a cell phone number with DUBAWA, saying it is the contact

of Minister Sirleaf and challenged DUBAWA to place a call to him. 

Immediately after that, the commissioner proceeded by calling DUBAWA on a WhatsApp conference call with another man on the call. The man introduced himself as the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport, Archibald Abban. 

Archibald explained that the information Honnah posted was factual and that it came from their ministry.

DUBAWA called the number Commissioner Honnah sent, but it was switched off.

The researcher  again called Shadrach Brown, the Director of Press and Public Affairs of the Ministry of Transport, to update  him about the commissioner’s reply, but he made a quick U-turn and said, “The information Patrick Honnah posted is correct.”

“The information that is being published is the transport fares from the Ministry of Transport, but there are some complications within it,” Brown said. “The public is mistakenly thinking the fares for buses are for taxis. That is the only mistaken aspect of it.”

When asked about the arbitrary fare that Honnah’s post lacked, Brown said,  “What we published on our website has arbitrary fares. But when we reduced it into flyers, the arbitrary fare was not captured, and that is what is being shared everywhere.”

The current transportation fares 

Here is a look into the transport situation in a few places in Monrovia and its environs.

According to the Ministry of Transport 2024 Transportation Fares Structure, the proposed/approved price from Broad Street, central Monrovia, to Redlight is L$200 ($1.10), the arbitrary price is L$250 ($1.38), while the previous transportation fare was L$140 ($0.77). 

On the other hand, the proposed/approved price from Broad Street, central Monrovia, to Duala is L$120 ($0.66), the arbitrary price is L$200 ($1.10), while the previous was L$90 ($0.50).

From ELWA Junction to Broad Street, the proposed/approved price is L$150 ($0.83), L$200 (1.10)  arbitrary fare, and L$100 ($0.55), the previous price. 

The ministry stated that all of these proposed/approved fares were when the pump price for gasoline was L$810 ($4.18), and fuel was L$913 ($4.71), while the previous transportation prices were when gasoline was L$875 and fuel L$930 in 2022.

The current price of gasoline and fuel 

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) Petroleum Products Monthly Price Circular for December 2024, the current wholesale prices are $3.63 for gasoline, while fuel is $3.93.

The retail pump prices are L$705 ($3.91) for gasoline, while fuel is L$760 (4.21).

What are Liberians saying?

Wadah Bodah is a resident of Bernard’s Farm, Paynesville. She said she has been paying L$250 ($1.38) from Redlight to Broad Street for the past year since moving to the area.

“I feel exploited, but there is no way to air my dissatisfaction because the government too, has not been playing their role,” Madam Bodah said. 

For his part, Nathaniel Giddings, a resident of Brewerville, said he pays L$150 ($0.83) from Duala to Broad Street.

He is calling on the government of Liberia to intervene in the sudden hike in their transportation cost.

What does the transport ministry say about the situation?

The Ministry of Transport announced on Dec 9, 2024, that it has deployed inspectors to enforce the new transportation fares in Monrovia. 

According to the ministry, the new fares they have set are to offer relief for both passengers and drivers by ensuring a fair and reasonable pricing structure following the reduction of petroleum prices.

“The inspectors have been given the authority to issue penalties for non-compliance, which will serve as a deterrent to those attempting to bypass the regulations.”