Taxi drivers in Calabar, theCross River capital, have expressed concern over low patronage of passengers due to the on-going strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
They said this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabaron Thursday.
The President of the Taxi Drivers Association, Patrick Okon, said that taxi business in Calabar was no longer profitable due to the strike.
"Students are our major passengers, but due to the ASUU strike, business is no longer moving," he said.
He appealed to ASUU to suspend its strike in the interest of the students andthe economy.
The Secretary of the Association, Edem Edem, said most taxi drivers in thestate obtained loans to buy their vehicles. He said that since passengers were no longer patronising them, repayment of the loans would not be easy.
"'I use to make a profit of N7, 000 per day, but, I hardly make N3, 000 now due to the strike," he said.
Another driver, Anthony Okoh, criticised the strike, saying it had brought down the growth of the country's education sector.
He appealed to ASUU and theFederal Government to engage in meaningful dialogue to end the strike.
As a result of the strike, economic activities within thevicinity of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), and Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) havedrastically reduced.
The strike by the universitylecturers is in its seventh week with the lecturers insisting the nationwide strike will not be called off unless the government implements a 2009 agreement it had with their union.

Driver mbok drop me at Goldie by Mount zion