By Nelson Manneh
As Ramadan continues, daily commuters in The Gambia are grappling with soaring transport fares, driven not by official tariff adjustments but by the discretion of commercial drivers.
Public transport in the country has long been an unregulated sector, with no standardized fare system to protect passengers from arbitrary increases. On busy routes, particularly along the Brikama–Banjul corridor, fare fluctuations are dictated by demand: the more passengers, the higher the price.
Lamin Darboe, a civil servant who commutes from Brikama to Bakau, said he has been paying 50 dalasis for a trip from Westfield to Brikama since the start of Ramadan—well above the usual rate.
“It’s not a secret. Anyone who takes this route regularly knows what’s happening,” Darboe said. “Passengers often argue with drivers, but they just set their fares as they please.”
Darboe blames the government for turning a blind eye.
“Authorities know what’s happening, but it’s not their problem because they have their own cars. They don’t care what ordinary Gambians go through every day,” he said.
Even when drivers are reported to the police, he added, little comes of it. “I’ve seen cases where passengers complained, and the police took the driver away. But minutes later, he’s back, smiling. He told us the police rely on drivers for bribes, so they won’t punish them—they just take their cut.”
For Naffisatou Corr, a fish vendor at the Latrikunda Sabaji market, the struggle extends beyond the Brikama-Westfield highway. She travels daily to Gunjur to buy fish, and like many others, faces unpredictable fares.
“If you think this is only happening on the Brikama route, that means you haven’t used the other roads,” she said. “Drivers exploit every commuter. If they don’t raise the fares, they cut the routes short, forcing passengers to take multiple cars.”
When she finishes work around 6 p.m., she either pays 50 dalasis to get to Brikama or must take three different vehicles.
Drivers, for their part, say they are not solely to blame.
Lasana Saidy, who drives a van between Brikama and Serrekunda, said authorities fail to enforce transport regulations, leaving the sector in chaos.
“People blame drivers, but they don’t understand what we go through,” Saidy said. “I sometimes pay up to 50 dalasis in bribes before even reaching Brikama. Every checkpoint has officers expecting something—it’s a chain system.”
Fuel prices, he noted, have remained stable in recent months, but when adjustments do come, authorities do little to inform drivers in advance.
A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the unlawful fare hikes, but suggested that passengers themselves play a role in enabling the practice.
“I work on the highway, and I always tell passengers to report drivers who overcharge them,” he said. “But they rarely do. I once intervened when a driver raised fares from 28 to 50 dalasis, and instead of supporting the complainant, other passengers got upset, saying I was delaying them.”
Laws exist to regulate fares, the officer added, but enforcement depends on passengers filing complaints.
“We’re not inside the vehicles—we don’t know what’s happening unless people report it.”
For now, however, commuters are left at the mercy of a system where fare hikes remain as unpredictable as the daily rush hour.
Foroyaa will reach out to the transport union and the government for comments.
