Photo credit: Gambia news
By Sally Fatty
Residents in the West Coast Region are raising concerns over the rising cost of transportation and basic food items, a situation many are linking to the ongoing conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States.
For many families, the ripple effects of the war are no longer distant headlines but a daily reality shaping how they live, move, and feed their families.
Along the coastal communities, commercial drivers have increase transport fares, citing hike in fuel prices and other operational costs. The sudden changes of fare increment have caught many commuters off guard, especially in the absence of any formal announcement from transport union or government authorities.
For Fatou Ceesay, a civil servant who commutes regularly between her home and work in Banjul and Serrekunda, the increase came as a shock. She explained that transport fares went up overnight without any official communication, making it difficult for her to plan her already tight monthly budget.
Ebrima Jatta, a student who attends school in the Greater Banjul Area, say the rising transport cost poses a predicament on his family.
“With four siblings and commuting daily between Lamin and Banjul for school, the combined cost of fares, lunch, and basic needs has become difficult for our parents. As a result, there are days when attending school becomes uncertain." he said.
However The Government of The Gambia, through the Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure, has approved an increase in public transport fares during a press briefing following a rise in global fuel prices. Under the new tariff, commercial vehicle fares in the Greater Banjul Area will increase by five dalasi, while fares in the West Coast Region will go up by fifteen dalasi.
