LAGOS: President Bola Tinubu’s directive for cheaper transportation through the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric-powered buses has yet to result in widespread fare reductions across several Nigerian states.
Although the Federal Government had targeted October 1 as the point at which Nigerians would begin to see measurable reductions in transportation costs, checks across a number of states showed that many commuters continued to pay the same fares they had been paying before the directive.
In some locations, transport fares have even remained high despite the availability of government-supported CNG or alternative-energy transportation schemes.
The findings covered states including Enugu, Anambra, Delta, Imo, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Gombe, Edo, Plateau, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Ogun.
President Tinubu had on September 19 urged state governments to ensure that savings generated from cheaper CNG-powered transportation were passed directly to Nigerians through lower transport fares.
The directive followed the President’s August 27 meeting with the 36 state governors under the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme.
Tinubu said the objective was for Nigerians to begin experiencing “measurable reductions in transportation costs” from October 1.
He also urged state governments to work with transport unions and commercial operators, support vehicle conversion and fleet deployment, and provide the infrastructure needed for the programme.
According to the President, the savings from cheaper energy should ultimately translate into lower transportation costs for citizens.
The Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles, Ismaeel Ahmed, said the programme had already resulted in fare reductions in some parts of the country.
Ahmed specifically mentioned Borno, Kaduna, Zamfara and Ebonyi as states where CNG or electric vehicles had been deployed to reduce transportation costs.
He explained that October 1 should not necessarily be interpreted as a single day on which every state was expected to reduce fares simultaneously.
Rather, he said, it marked the point from which the Federal Government would begin monitoring the implementation of fare reductions on routes where CNG and electric vehicles were operating.
Ahmed said CNG buses had already been operating on some high-traffic routes in Abuja, while Lagos had also begun expanding its CNG transportation programme.
He disclosed that about 20 CNG buses had been donated to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, to support lower fares on routes within Lagos and between Lagos and Ibadan.
He also said Zamfara had launched 100 electric taxis, while Ebonyi was providing free transportation for some civil servants and students.
In Borno, he said electric vehicles were being used to transport passengers at significantly lower fares, with some trips reportedly costing about N15 compared with between N200 and N500 previously.
Ahmed acknowledged, however, that the programme had not yet reached every part of the country.
He said the Federal Government would continue working to expand CNG and electric transportation to more communities and high-traffic corridors.
In Anambra State, commuters continued to pay existing fares on October 1.
Passengers travelling from Upper Iweka to Oba were paying about N700, while the fare from Awka to Onitsha remained around N2,000.
Some commercial drivers said they were unaware of the Federal Government’s CNG buses, while reports also indicated that gas stations in the state were not operational.
A transport operator, Uche Daniel, attributed the continued high fares partly to the cost of spare parts and poor roads.
He argued that even CNG buses could struggle to reduce fares if poor roads continued to cause vehicle damage, delays and longer journeys.
The closure of the First Niger Bridge was also cited as a factor forcing motorists to use inner roads that were reportedly in poor condition.
Transport fares also remained unchanged in Delta State.
Checks in Asaba found five CNG-branded buses parked at the Commissioner for Transport’s lodge.
However, the Chairman of the NURTW Summit Motor Park in Asaba, Emeka Okoro, said the union had not received CNG buses and therefore had not reduced fares.
He said transport operators could not significantly reduce fares while the cost of conventional fuel remained high.
Okoro called for measures that would make CNG-powered vehicles accessible to transport unions and drivers.
In Imo State, commercial transport operators also said they were yet to receive Federal Government CNG buses.
Although the state APC spokesman, Jones Onwuasoanya, said the President’s promise was on course and that the state had started taking delivery of CNG vehicles, checks at major motor parks showed that fares remained high.
A journey from Owerri to Akokwa was reported to cost N4,500, while transport from Owerri to Awka could cost as much as N9,000.
Some drivers also called for a reduction in the petrol pump price, arguing that the CNG programme had not yet made a significant difference to their operations.
In Sokoto and Kebbi states, passengers were also yet to experience broad reductions in commercial transport fares.
At Sokoto’s Central Motor Park, passengers travelling to Kebbi continued to pay between N5,000 and N6,000, while journeys to Kano and Kaduna were costing about N20,000 on commercial vehicles.
In Kebbi, transport to Sokoto remained around N5,000 on commercial buses, although state-owned vehicles charged N3,500.
The cheaper state-operated service provided some relief, but its limited coverage meant that many passengers continued to depend on private commercial operators.
Residents of Dutse also expressed disappointment that transportation fares had not fallen.
At Dutse Central Motor Park and Shuwarin Motor Park, passengers reported that fares remained unchanged.
One passenger travelling to Kano said he was still paying N3,500, the same amount he had paid the previous week.
Another commuter said the fare from Dutse to Hadejia remained N5,000.
However, the Jigawa State Chairman of NARTO, Bello Usman Dunaro, confirmed that the union had received government support under the CNG programme.
He disclosed that about 100 vehicles had been converted to CNG, with the objective of eventually reducing transportation costs.
In Gombe State, passengers also reported that transport fares had not fallen on routes operated by both government and private transport companies.
Passengers travelling to Abuja and Kaduna said prices remained unchanged.
The Managing Director of the Gombe State Transport Service, Dr Sani Sabo, said the agency was exploring alternatives to prevent fares from increasing further and was working towards converting some buses to CNG.
Transport fares remained unchanged in Edo State, with short-distance journeys in Benin costing between N200 and N300 and longer trips ranging from N500 to N600.
Even some vehicles that had already been converted to CNG had not reduced their fares.
A transport union official attributed the situation to the cost of spare parts and inadequate gas infrastructure.
According to the official, some buses were forced to wait for hours, and in some cases days, before they could refill with gas.
The Edo State Government, however, said it planned to launch more than 50 52-seater CNG buses later in October.
The state said the buses would be distributed across the three senatorial districts according to commuter demand, with the expectation that the availability of cheaper transport would encourage other operators to reduce their fares.
Enugu presented a different picture, with government-owned CNG buses already operating.
The buses charge a flat fare of N300, compared with N600 on some commercial routes.
For instance, passengers travelling from Emene to Old Park in Enugu metropolis pay N300 on government CNG buses, compared with N600 on regular commercial buses.
However, the impact remains limited because the CNG buses operate mainly on major routes during morning and evening periods.
Passengers outside those routes or operating hours still have to rely on more expensive commercial vehicles.
The state government had previously rolled out 100 CNG mass transit buses as part of a planned acquisition of 200 buses, although there was no available information on whether the remaining buses had been procured.
Kaduna State has also recorded some benefits from its CNG transportation programme.
The state government operates a free CNG-powered mass transit service on selected routes, although commercial fares outside the network remain considerably higher.
The state said it had deployed 100 CNG buses and that the buses transported about 3.2 million passengers during their first year, saving commuters more than N3.5bn in transportation costs.
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, said Kaduna operated the free CNG-powered mass transit service across eight routes, with about 200 bus stops.
However, residents pointed out that commuters who could not access the designated routes did not enjoy the same benefit.
In Plateau State, commercial transport fares in Jos remained largely unchanged, while CNG buses were yet to begin operating.
Government-owned metro buses, however, continued to charge N200.
A resident said he paid N1,000 for a trip from Bukuru to Terminus, the same amount he had paid before October 1.
The state Commissioner for Transport, Davou Jatau, said Plateau had already moved ahead with subsidised transportation, with government-supported buses carrying about 13,000 passengers daily at N200 compared with fares above N500 charged by commercial operators.
He also said the state was working with the National Institute of Transport Technology in Zaria to establish a CNG and hybrid vehicle conversion centre in Jos.
The lack of a refuelling station was identified as one of the major obstacles to the CNG programme.
In Ondo State, commercial transport fares remained unchanged, while CNG buses were not seen operating across the state.
A taxi driver said he was unaware of any CNG deployment and questioned how fares could be reduced while petrol remained expensive.
The state government, however, said it was working on CNG conversion centres and additional gas outlets.
In Osun State, both intra-city and interstate fares also remained unchanged.
The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said Osun was still waiting for CNG buses promised by the Federal Government.
He added that the state’s financial constraints had limited its ability to immediately introduce subsidised transportation.
Transport fares across major routes in Ibadan also remained at levels introduced after the increase in petrol prices.
The fare from Ojoo to Mokola remained N600, compared with N500 before the latest petrol price increase.
Ojoo to Iwo Road cost between N400 and N500.
Passengers said they had yet to notice any reduction in transportation costs despite the October 1 target.
Ogun State also recorded no immediate reduction in fares.
A journey from Kuto to Ijebu Ode remained N3,500, irrespective of whether the vehicle was powered by CNG or petrol.
Other fares included N600 to N700 from Kuto to Ita Oshin and N2,000 or more from Kuto to Sagamu.
A driver attributed the continued high fares to fuel prices, maintenance costs and rising living expenses.
The Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the state government would soon announce its response to the Federal Government’s directive.
He said the state would unveil further interventions aimed at cushioning the effect of transportation costs.
The developments across the states highlight the gap between the Federal Government’s CNG transportation policy and its implementation on the ground.
While some states have introduced free, subsidised or cheaper CNG and electric transportation, the benefits remain concentrated on selected routes.
In other states, commuters are still waiting for CNG buses, conversion facilities and adequate refuelling infrastructure.
Transport operators have also cited high fuel prices, expensive spare parts, poor roads, maintenance costs and limited access to CNG facilities as factors affecting their ability to reduce fares.
The Federal Government has said it will continue monitoring the programme and expanding alternative-fuel transportation to more communities.
For many commuters, however, the key measure of the initiative remains whether the cost of getting to work, school, markets and other destinations actually falls.
As the CNG rollout continues, the extent to which states can expand coverage and ensure that lower energy costs translate into cheaper fares will determine how widely Nigerians experience the promised relief.
