RipplesMetrics: States with the highest transport fares as fuel scarcity hits Nigerians again

“Everything increased in price, salary just remained stagnant”, Joy Agnes, a low-income earner in Lagos was heard lamenting as she tried to bargain a 100% increase in price hike by transporters on Thursday at Ago Palace way, Lagos.

According to her, on a typical day, she pays N400 to N500 from where she was standing to CMS, Lagos Island Lagos. Friday, however, was different from a typical day, as queues resurfaced in several petrol stations across the country.

“I rather not go to work than pay 1500 to CMS, how do I get back home,” Agnes loudly said to herself.

While buried in contemplation, as if something hit her, she exclaimed yes to the surprise of other exhausted commuters as she walked home with a broad smile. Her company’s human resources department had asked her to stay at home due to the high cost of transportation.

This was the fate of many Nigerians who again woke up to the reality of another fuel scarcity. It was terrible that a litre of petrol at the black market was sold for as much as N500, and transporters wasted no time shifting the cost to commuters.

However, as painful as it is, this has been the trend for most Nigerians across the 36 states and the FCT since the start of 2022.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Transport Fare Watch Report show that Nigerians have had to increase their transportation budgets monthly regardless of the choice of transportation.

For example, the average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city in January stood at N476.39.

The latest report published for September 2022 showed that the average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop has increased to N615.69. Similarly, air passengers paid an average of N38,352.19 for a single journey on an average, even as NBS revealed an average of N72,690.54 in September.

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A closer look

The latest September transport watch report for NBS provides closer insight into how stretched Nigerians are becoming monthly.

The report showed that the average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop has increased by 41.42% from N435.36 in September 2021 to N615.69 in September 2022.

In another category, the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop rose to N3,790.06 in September 2022, indicating an increase of 0.27% on a month-on-month compared to the value of N3,779.96 in August 2022. Year-on-year, the fare prices rose by 44.61% from N2,620.90 in September 2021.

Across the country, the states where residents paid more to commute per drop within the city in September was Taraba with N820.70, followed by Bauchi State with N785.30. Anambra State recorded the least fares with N498.05, followed by Borno with N459.25.

For intercity bus travel (state route charged per person fare) in September 2022, the highest fare was recorded in Abuja with N5,952.30, followed by Adamawa with N5,225.13. The least fares were recorded in Bayelsa with N2,450.22, followed by Kwara with N1,697.20.

Distribution of transport fare categories by zones shows that in September 2022, transport fares of bus journeys within the city recorded the highest in the North-East with N665.20 followed by South-South with N642.24.

In comparison, the South-West recorded the least with N575.76.

In terms of bus journey intercity, the South-West had the highest fare with N4,115.61, followed by the North-East with N3,922.40, while the North-West recorded the least with N3,610.41.

Air transportation

In air travels fare, the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes, single journey, increased by 11.76% on a month-on-month from N65,041.89 in August 2022 to N72,690.54 in September 2022.

On a year-on-year, the fare rose by 96.87% from N36,922.97 in September 2021.

Delta recorded the highest air transport charges (for specified routes, single journeys) with N76,500.00 in September 2022, followed by Rivers with N76,000.00. Conversely. Niger recorded the least fare with N65,000.00.

South-South recorded the highest air transport fare in September 2022 with N74,150.00, followed by South-West with N74,133.33. In contrast, North-Central had the least with N70,285.71.

Water transportation

The average fare paid for water transport (waterway passenger transportation) in September 2022 increased to N980.18, showing a growth of 0.61% on a month-on-month basis, from N974.26 in August 2022.

On a year -on-year, the fare rose by 15.44% from N849.06 in September 2021 to N980.20 in September 2022.

Water transport fare was highest in Delta state with N3,280.00 followed by Rivers with N2,955.00, while the least fare was recorded in Kebbi State with N414.00 followed by Borno with N350.00.

Expectation

Undoubtedly, the era of N178 average petrol price is gone. Analysts have described the latest fuel scarcity as a push by marketers to ensure prices are adjusted to meet their operating expenses.

In an earlier report, Ripples Nigeria had reported, using data from NNPC Limited, that Nigeria had over 2 billion litres of fuel in stock, which could last for the next 30 days.

Similarly, in a recent interview, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, dispelled the rumour of stock out.

However, the marketers are claiming that there needs to be more to sell.
Whoever is telling the truth or lying, it is clear that the country’s high transportation costs are not going away anytime soon.

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