Lagos, Nasarawa Lead Nigeria’s Highest Bus Fares in October 2025 — NBS

Lagos and Nasarawa states recorded the highest average bus fares for intra-city travel in October 2025, according to the latest Transport Fare Watch Report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Lagos topped the list with commuters paying an average of ₦1,405.85 per bus journey, followed by Nasarawa at ₦1,326.77 and Kwara State at ₦1,300.01 for similar trips within the city.

The report showed that the national average fare for bus journeys within the city rose marginally month-on-month from ₦1,049.17 in September to ₦1,058.64 in October, representing about 0.9 percent increase. Year-on-year, fares climbed significantly, up 16.57 percent compared to October 2024’s ₦908.15.

Transport operators told BusinessDay that the persistence of high fares is driven not only by fuel costs but also by rising expenses for vehicle parts, maintenance, union levies, daily extortion payments and multiple security checkpoints factors that cumulatively push up the cost of commuting for urban residents.

In contrast, states such as Abia, Adamawa and Kano recorded some of the lowest average intra-city fares, at ₦548.44, ₦631.44 and ₦810.03 respectively.

The transport fare watch also covers inter-city bus travel, air travel, motorcycle (okada) and waterway passenger transport, with inter-city bus charges averaging ₦8,170.21 per person in October up 1.55 percent month-on-month and 13.67 percent year-on-year.

By Oshuniran Sheriff Ola