The National Bureau of Statistics has said in its report that intra-city transport fares in Nigeria have increased by 283% between January 2017 to December 2021. 

The average cost of bus transportation within Nigerian cities rose from ₦122.83 in January 2017 to ₦470.83 in December 2021.

Abuja had the highest intra-city bus transport cost at ₦290.55 in 2017 while Borno had the lowest at ₦50. However, in 2021, Zamfara had the highest intra-city bus transport cost at ₦700.22 while Abia had the lowest at ₦294.44.

The data shows that the lowest cost in 2021 is 2.4 times higher than the average cost in 2017. The report also shows that the average cost of bus transportation from one city to another rose from ₦1,430.63 in January 2017 to ₦2,784.92 in December 2021.

Despite the massive increase in the cost of bus transportation, the average price of petrol increased by only 11.48 percent in the same period, rising from ₦148.7 in January 2017 to ₦165.77 in December 2021.

This is not unconnected to the backdrop of the rising cost of the petrol subsidy. In 2017, the NNPC said that it spent ₦144.53 billion in subsidizing petrol, but by 2021, the subsidy gulped ₦1.43 trillion, a stunning rise of 890%.