Nigerians brace up for high traveling cost as fare rises by 18%

The cost of traveling inter-city in Nigeria has risen by 18.02% year-on-year in November 2021 to an average of N2,644, according to the transportation report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

This increase is coming at a time when inter-state traveling is in high demand as Nigerians will be traveling from one city to another to visit their families and relatives. According to the report, the highest increase was recorded in the south-south region of the country.

According to the report, the average cost of bus journey intercity in the South-south region of Nigeria increased by 22.94% year-on-year compared to the corresponding period of 2020. Specifically, the average cost increased from N1,769 recorded in November 2020 to N2,175 in the period under review.

Meanwhile, intercity bus fare is highest in the Northcentral region of the country at N3,075, followed by the Southwest area at N2,881.

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The average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop increased by 1.46% on a month-on-month basis from N440.09 in October to N 446.50 in November 2021.

On the other hand, on a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 33.74% from N333.86 in November 2020 to N446.5 in November 2021.

In the same vein, the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity stood at N2,644.50 in November 2021 indicating an increase of 0.38% on a month-on-month basis when compared to the value of N2,634.46 in October 2021.

Also, the November fare also rose by 18.02% on a year-on-year basis from N2,240.66 in the corresponding month of the previous year to N2,644.5 in November 2021.

The average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey increased by 0.25% on a month-on-month basis from N36,932 in October to N37,022 in November 2021. On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose marginally by 1.99% from N36,301 in November 2020 to N37,022 in November 2021.

Meanwhile, at the state level for intercity bus travel (state route charged per person fare), the highest fares were recorded in Abuja, Lagos State and Sokoto State at N4,826, N3,558 and N3,500 respectively. The least fares were recorded in Bayelsa State, Bauchi State and Akwa Ibom State with N1,893, N1,945, and N1,991 respectively.