Rising Transportation Costs in Nigerian Cities
The average fare for bus trips within Nigerian cities climbed to N1,431.25 in May, reflecting an ongoing trend of increasing transport costs across the nation, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
This insight comes from the NBS’s latest Transport Fares Monitoring Report, released on Tuesday.
The report reveals a 2.43 percent increase in the average fare for city buses compared to the N1,397.27 recorded in April. Year-over-year, this marks a substantial 38.63 percent rise from the N1,032.46 fare paid in May 2025.
The NBS noted that fares have risen across major transport categories, including intercity bus services, domestic air travel, motorcycle (okada) rides, and water transport, although the monthly increases have been relatively modest.
Motorcycle transportation experienced the most pronounced annual growth rate among the tracked categories.
Intercity and Domestic Air Travel Increases
The average fare for intercity bus travel increased to N9,699.55 in May, a modest increase of 0.96 percent from N9,607.41 in April. When compared to May 2025, this shows a significant 21.89 percent rise from N7,957.41.
Additionally, the average airfare for specific domestic flights rose to N157,552.19, reflecting a 0.12 percent month-on-month increase and a 20.86 percent increase from N130,361.85 in May last year.
Among the surveyed categories, motorcycle transport saw the highest annual growth, with fares now averaging N1,072.51—an increase of 3.56 percent from April 2025, and a staggering 52.45 percent from the fares recorded last May.
Water transport fares also saw an uptick, rising from N2,222.84 in April to N2,276.48—a 2.41 percent increase. Year-over-year, this represents a 30.88 percent increase from N1,739.32 noted in May 2025.
State-Specific Fare Disparities
The report highlights notable disparities in transportation fares across different states. Ondo State recorded the highest average fare for intercity bus travel at N11,080, closely followed by Abia State at N11,066.13, while Kwara and Edo states reported the lowest average fares.
For city bus transport, Zamfara State led with an average fare of N1,878.80, trailed by Taraba State at N1,771.96. In contrast, Abia and Adamawa states had the lowest average fares in this category.
In terms of domestic flight costs, Kano State boasted the highest average airfare at N184,139.29, surpassing Lagos State’s N176,971.65, while Gombe and Nasarawa states recorded the most affordable airfares.
Additional Insights into Transportation Trends
Furthermore, the report indicated that Kaduna State had the highest average fare for motorcycle transport, pegged at N1,720.76, whereas Rivers State recorded the highest average fare for water transport at N6,893.55. The data suggest that the southwest region leads in average fares for city bus services, intercity bus travel, and motorcycle transport, while the South-South region noted the highest average water transport fare during the reporting period.
