Melian Tours, a bus service company owned by Lilian Lisk is rocked with inherent corruption and embellished with staff rudeness to customers who deserve better treatment.
Passengers using the Melian bus service to and from Conakry in neighbouring Guinea as well as inland passengers who have spoken to this reporter have recounted harrowing experiences with luggage attendants, conductors and ticket sellers of Melian Tours. Even the General Manager, Ibrahim Njai Amara has not been spared in the condemnations levied by the company’s customers on its staff.
Passengers who spoke to this reporter say some of the company’s staffs are enmeshed in over charging of passenger luggage with no tickets or receipts, uncared customer care, discrimination of passengers based on what they can offer.
Mabinty Thorlu, a trader who buys her wares in Conakry-Guinea explained how she was embarrassed and virtually molested in Conakry by one Melian Tours Staff member, commonly known as Yellowman. She said on 13th July 2013, in the presence of one Pat Marah who showed her a Melian Tours tag as the company’s PRO, she was charged an exorbitant price of Le 1, 200, 000 (one million, two hundred thousand Leones) for her luggage from Conakry, and when she requested for a discount, she was shouted at and asked to leave the bus if she cared by Yellow man.
According to her, even when the so-called PRO intervened and she pleaded to pay Le 700, 000 (seven hundred thousand Leones), Yellow man and a certain Mr. John the Conductor on the bus refused with outright rudeness.
“They shouted at me as if I was a thief. I had preferred Melian against the Government Bus service with the view that theirs would be better. I felt very much disappointed as that attempt was my first and the experience was just disgusting,” Mabinty explained.
As if that was not enough for the unsuspecting passengers of Melian Tours, on the same 13th July instant, two young men with ordinary travelling bags, one of who gave his name as Fatorma Sheriff said they were deliberately denied tickets by the salesman and conductor of the Freetown/Conakry Melian bus on the same date.
“We were told in our faces that the tickets have finished while there was space for the two of us,” Fatorma said, adding that as they stood pleading with the conductor, two other people came asked for tickets telling them that they have luggage and were sold the remaining tickets.
“The actual fact was that the bus had two empty seats but were looking for passengers that could pay extra and have luggage,” Fatorma stated.
The men attempted to cause chaos when they were told that the company’s PRO was on board the bus. Indeed, the PRO, Mr. Marah was on board and even though he intervened by asking John to sell tickets to the passengers since the bus was not full, he was snubbed.
According to Mabinty, as this was going on, two passengers, believed to be Guineans came with huge luggage and they were immediately sold tickets.
When the PRO was met on the issue by the two young men, he (PRO) could not do anything to save the situation, but to tell the men that it was indeed his concern, but “I cannot do anything now until I arrive in Freetown.”
It is not known whether the PRO is of any essence in the company since his intervention cannot hold sway among his colleagues.
The Melian operated buses to Guinea have in fact been observed as seriously violating the ECOWAS travel policy. When a designated bus with a laissez passé develops a problem, it is immediately replaced with another bus by transplanting that bus’s registration number to another along with the laissez passé. The CEO, Madam Lisk is said to have authorized this policy.
The Melian bus service started in 2011 with a fleet of fifty buses, but as at now, only eight are said to be effectively operational. This is why passengers have to go to the Melian Terminals at Circular Road and Kissy as early as 4:00am in order that buses can be assigned to their destinations. Sometimes passengers have to wait for long hours while staff members make frantic phone calls for buses.
In Kono, Fayia, the ticket salesman for Melian is of the habit of asking for extra pay for the ticket sold at Le 40, 000. He usually asks for anything not below Le 5, 000 for tickets with seat numbers.
Customers say this trend of corruption and poor customer service and care is costing the company a dwindling customer base especially as their rival, Alie Abess, making impressive move in his customer care and service, stable passenger and luggage fares.
By Sayoh Kamara
August 16, 2013