Soaring transport costs push Nigerians to breaking point

Many Nigerian employees have remained at the receiving end, facing the harsh impact of the US-Israel-Iran conflict, which has led to a spike in the price of petroleum products and, consequently, an increase in transportation costs across the country.

With the US-Iran conflict, petrol prices increased from an average of N800 to N1,400 in Abuja. This has, in no small way, impacted the cost of transportation in the nation’s capital.

Explaining her ordeal to BusinessDay, Linda Ude, a health practitioner based in Abuja, said that her transportation cost has become one of her major expenditures, gulping over 50 percent of her monthly income.

“Keeping up with transportation costs is no longer easy. Since the past two months, taxi owners now charge more than twice the price we usually pay,” Ude told BusinessDay.

“I have spent N6,000 just from morning till now, and I will still pay more when I am going home, and my salary is not even up to N200,000. This is a serious issue; I have been unable to save even a penny from my monthly salary.

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“There is a package that was waybilled to me six days ago, but I have been unable to pick it up due to transportation cost considerations. The truth is that if I compare my transportation cost against my salary for the month, I get very discouraged to continue in my work.

“I really wish the government could come up with a mass transit program or any way to bring down the cost of transportation.”

BusinessDay’s check on the transportation trend, from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report, shows that intra-city transport fares have surged by nearly 15 percent month-on-month.

The Bureau’s Transport Fare Watch released on Thursday shows broad-based increases across all categories, with intra-city bus fares rising 14.86 percent month-on-month to N1,373.49, while intercity travel surged 17.95 percent to N9,564.12.

Also, the average transport fare paid for Okada transportation was N1,004.34 in March 2026, which shows an increase of 9.05 percent when compared with the value recorded in February 2026.

Also speaking to BusinessDay, Ayomide Bryan, a civil servant, expressed displeasure over the non-availability of government-owned vehicles which, according to him, would have impacted the amount being paid on transportation as well as being a safer means of transportation.

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Speaking with our correspondent at the Area 1 bus stop, Bryan said, “I really wish we could have those buses back on the road. At least we would not be paying this much on transportation.”

“As it is now, I spend more than N5,000 daily on transportation. This vehicle from Dutse to Area 1 is N1,500, and I will take another taxi to my office. The money I am paying on transportation is getting to be too much.”

For him, transport fares have become a major part of his monthly expenses, accounting for about 60 percent of his salary.

Speaking further, Bryan mentioned security as another benefit of mass transit buses, stating that it is almost impossible to be a victim of criminals, often called ‘one-chance,’ when on board government-owned buses.

“Sometimes I get scared of going out because of the spread of criminals that carry passengers and rob them; some are even killed. But if we have the big buses, everyone will be safer.

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“The El-Rufai buses are better in every way; they are spacious unlike the small taxis where four passengers are squeezed into the back seat, and two passengers in the front seat which was made for one person. Also, the private taxi drivers may be forced to reduce the prices they charge if they no longer have so many customers,” he said.

Sitting behind her bowl of snacks at Apo Bridge, Madam Lateef explained to BusinessDay how the increase in transportation has reduced her earnings.

She said transport fares from Mararaba to Area 1 increased to N1,300 from N700/N800. “This money that was added is affecting my business; the cost of items that I use in making these egg rolls and doughnuts has increased. After selling my goods, the profit is now very small.

“For that transport fare, if there is anything the government can do to help, they should do it. Yes, we were using those big buses and the fares were usually cheap, but they stopped a long time ago. At least if they resume, we are sure that we will not be paying so much on transportation,” Madam Lateef added.