The Cross River State government has announced a new set of reforms in the transport sector, with a 50 percent reduction in all traffic-related fines and a N10, 000 penalty for failing to purchase a daily ticket.
Governor Bassey Otu, at a critical meeting with transport stakeholders in Calabar during the weekend, explained that daily tickets for commercial buses will drop from ₦850 to ₦500 while tricycle (keke) riders, who previously paid ₦1,200, will now pay ₦500 per day.
In recent times, there have been growing concerns raised by commercial drivers and residents across Calabar metropolis regarding high ticket costs, aggressive fines, and unprofessional enforcement practices.
This has always resulted in avoidable fights, protests, losses of vehicles, and sometimes delays in vehicular movements along the roads and streets of Calabar.
At the meeting, the governor also announced that mini-bus drivers and tricycle riders would be entirely exempted from purchasing tickets on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
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Maintaining a firm stance on security, he warned that tricycle operations remain prohibited after 6:00 p.m.
The governor also redefined the roles of various regulatory bodies, stating that the Commercial Transport Regulatory Agency (CTRA) will henceforth focus strictly on vehicle registration and ticket sales at approved rates.
Gov. Otu said the Traffic Management and Regulatory Agency (TRAMRA) will confine its operations to statutory traffic management, while the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) operations are now restricted to their official office premises.
The new policy, he added, takes effect from March 9, 2026.
Also, he stated that to ensure accountability, enforcement officers must now appear in proper uniforms and carry verifiable identification tags, and urged stakeholders and the public to comply with the new guidelines.
