PASSENGERS travelling the North Road in Malaita Province are being forced to pay an extra $30 for at least a month now since the breakdown of Dala bridge.
According to travelling passengers interviewed over the weekend, they said the actual fare from Auki to Head road of the North road only stands at $100 before the bridge was damaged a month ago.
However, they said after the damage, vehicles providing transportation from Head Road to Dala are demanding travelling passengers to pay $130.
At Dala, passengers were forced to transfer to other vehicles with an associated cost of $30 before they could get to Auki town.
Travelling passengers said the poor state of the road is the triggering factor, which forced transport providers to increase the fare.
The travelling public believes that if the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development (MID) fix the general condition of the road including damaged bridges the fare could have been cheaper or remain at $100.
Information reaching this paper claimed MID has already engaged a local contractor to fix the Dala Bridge.
Work on the bridge started last week and is expected to complete soon.
The travelling public expects the fare to drop from $130 back to $100 when the bridge repair is completed.
By WILSON SAENI
Auki News Bureau
