The average cost of bus travel inside Nigerian cities increased from N649.59 in May 2023 to N1,285.41 in June 2023, according to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
This suggests that during a single month, the cost of intra-city bus transit increased by 98%, or N636.
This information can be seen in the NBS’s Transport Fare Watch report for June 2023.
The NBS stated that this includes the breakdown of bus trips inside cities by drop-constant route as well as the cost per person for bus trips across state lines.
According to the research, bus prices increased annually by N582.61, or 120.63 percent, from commuters’ payments in June 2022.
Additionally, the average fare that commuters paid for intercity bus trips each drop increased from N4,002.16 in May 2023 to N5,686.49 in June 2023, representing a monthly increase of 42.09%.
The sharp spike is due to the rising price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also 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.”