CNG fare cuts uneven as states struggle with costs

By Abubakar Yunusa

Several states have rolled out compressed natural gas buses and subsidised transport schemes, but high operating costs have left commuters in many parts of the country without the promised fare reductions.

Lagos, Kwara, Ekiti, Plateau and Enugu have adopted different measures to cushion the impact of rising transportation costs following President Bola Tinubu’s directive that Nigerians should begin experiencing measurable reductions in fares from October 1.

However, the response has remained uneven, with differences in CNG infrastructure, availability of buses, conversion costs, fuel prices and the operating conditions facing commercial transporters.

The development followed the President’s August 27 meeting with the 36 state governors, where he directed them to accelerate the implementation of the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme.

Tinubu had urged the states to work with transport unions and commercial operators, support vehicle conversion and provide the infrastructure needed for the transition.

But in several states, transport operators have resisted calls for immediate fare reductions, citing high petrol prices, spare parts, maintenance and other operating expenses.

In Kwara, the Commissioner for Transport, Aliyu Sabi, said the Federal Government had supplied the state with 20 CNG buses to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices.

He said the buses had commenced operations from various motor parks, including routes linking Ilorin with Abuja, Lagos and Enugu.

“The state government is currently expecting another 10 buses from the Federal Government that will take care of workers, students, residents, among others,” Sabi said.

In Ekiti, Governor Biodun Oyebanji said the state had commenced moves to cut transport fares by deploying 15 CNG buses supplied by the Federal Government.

He said the buses would help reduce the burden of transportation on residents while the state works to expand the fleet.

The Director-General of the Ekiti State Transportation Agency, Tajudeen Akingbolu, said routes had been mapped out for the buses to operate between Ado Ekiti and Lagos, Ibadan, Onitsha and Abuja.

In Plateau, the government is relying on its Tin City Metro Bus scheme while preparing for CNG adoption.

The Commissioner for Transport, Davou Gyang Jatau, said passengers travelling between Anguldi and Farin Gada, a distance of about 23 kilometres, pay N200.

He, however, identified inadequate CNG refuelling infrastructure as a major challenge.

In Lagos, the state recently received 20 additional high-capacity CNG buses, bringing the number in its regulated public transport system to about 170.

But the state has yet to announce a new fare structure or commencement date for the latest Federal Government-backed fare reduction scheme.

The buses are expected to increase capacity on routes with identified gaps, including the Ikorodu-Tafawa Balewa Square corridor.

In Enugu, government-owned CNG buses have reduced fares by more than 50 per cent on some routes, but commercial operators have maintained their charges.

The Public Relations Officer of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Enugu State chapter, Ralph Edeh, said operators could not afford to slash fares while their operating expenses remained high.

“It is still within the realm of wishful thinking for anybody to ask transport operators to start slashing down fares when the cost of fuel, motor spare parts, among other factors, are still very high,” Edeh said.

In Rivers, the NURTW chairman, Boma Tom-George, also tied any fare reduction to the price of petrol.

“We sell as we buy. Since we are using fuel and fuel price remains where it is. It is when it is reduced that the leadership of the union will also see how to reduce transport costs,” he said.

The situation is similarly difficult in Ogun, where a transporter, Jamiu Sofela, said fares between Kuto Motor Park, Abeokuta, and Lagos remained N6,000.

He put the cost of converting a petrol-powered vehicle to CNG at about N1.3m, while also citing passengers’ concerns about CNG vehicle safety.

In Benue, the state-owned Benue Links instead implemented a marginal fare increase, citing higher fuel, tyre and spare-parts costs.

The General Manager, Alexander Fanafa, said the increase was necessary to keep the company operating.

In parts of the North-West, transport unions in Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi have also rejected immediate fare reductions, citing petrol prices of between N1,440 and N1,490 per litre.

In Sokoto, NURTW chairman Dan Takatuku said fuel alone consumed more than 70 per cent of some drivers’ daily earnings.

In Zamfara, Abdullahi Suleiman said the CNG buses deployed by the government were inadequate to meet the transportation needs of the population.

Kebbi transport operator Balarabe Sani said rising fuel, spare-parts and maintenance costs had forced some commercial drivers to park their vehicles.

Niger State, meanwhile, received 100 CNG buses, but deployment has been affected by road construction and other logistical challenges.

In Anambra, the RTEAN chairman, Joseph Nwabueze, said the union had not been contacted over any current incentive for drivers.

Taraba NURTW chairman Ahmodu Musa also said the union was awaiting action from the state government.

In Kano, NURTW secretary Ahmad Khalid said the promised CNG buses had yet to arrive, despite assurances that the state would be prioritised.

He said Kano needed more than 500 CNG buses to ease transportation challenges and create employment opportunities for transport workers.

Meanwhile, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has urged the Federal Government to emulate Germany by cutting fuel taxes to ease the burden of rising transportation costs.

Atiku argued that lower fuel costs would translate into cheaper transport, lower market prices and more disposable income for households.

The mixed response across the states suggests that reducing transport fares will depend not only on government directives and CNG bus deployment but also on fuel prices, refuelling infrastructure, conversion facilities and the willingness of commercial operators to participate.