A report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that the average cost of bus transportation within Nigerian cities rose from N649.59 in May 2023 to N1,285.41 in June 2023.
This indicates that the cost of intra-city bus transportation rose by 98 per cent or N636 within one month. This is contained in the Transport Fare Watch report of the NBS for June 2023.
According to the NBS, this included the breakdown of bus journeys within the cities per drop constant route; bus journey intercity (state route) charge per person amongst other means of transportation.
On a year-on-year basis, the report revealed that bus fares rose by 120.63 per cent from N582.61 paid by commuters in June 2022.
Also, the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop rose to N5,686.49 in June 2023 compared to N4,002.16 in May 2023 indicating an increase of 42.09 per cent on a month-on-month basis.
The steep increase is attributable to the rise in the cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol.
The report reads: “The average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop increased by 97.88 per cent from N649.59 in May 2023 to N1,285.41 in June 2023. On a year-on-year basis, it rose by 120.63 per cent from N582.61 in June 2022.
“In another category, the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop rose to N5,686.49 in June 2023, indicating an increase of 42.09 on a month-on-month basis compared to N4,002.16 in May 2023. On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 55.25 per cent from N3,662.87 in June 2022.”
Source: business day
