By Moses Akaigwe
The N100 flat rate increase in bus fare for all Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and standard routes approved recently by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, will take effect on Wednesday, July 13, 2022.
Gov. Sanwo-Olu has also authorised the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to convert the current diesel buses in operation in the state’s mass transportation schemes to the use of compressed natural gas (CNG).
These were contained in a statement by LAMATA, which explained that the upward review was necessitated by the need to sustain the operations of regulated bus services in Lagos State in the face of rising operational costs.
Signed by LAMATA’s assistant director, corporate communication, Kolawole Ojelabi, the statement explained that operations of the transport scheme, of late, had been hampered due to rising cost of inputs required for sustainable service offering and the attendant high number of buses out of operation as a result of lack of spare parts.
“For instance, the exponential increase in the pump price of diesel from N187 to N830/litre between August, 2020 and June, 2022, had greatly affected optimal performance of the bus operating companies leading to the withdrawal of buses from operation and longer waiting time at bus stations.
“The Governor in consenting to the fare increase also approved a proposal for a bail out for the bus operating companies in other to cushion the effect of the harsh operating environment and safeguard private partnership investment and forestall the demise of formalized bus operations in the state.
“In view of the economic situation, the government is also providing support for the Bus Operating Companies in view of the continuous increase in fuel price. This is to ensure that the increase to the passenger is kept to a minimum.”
The fare increase notwithstanding, LAMATA further stated, government noted that whatever support this would provide to the operators, it would still not cover the cost of fueling, thus likely to put the continued survival of the bus operations on a tight rein.
The governor also approved the appeal by LAMATA for the conversion of the current diesel buses in operation to the use of CNG and a shift to different economically viable and environmentally friendly mobility energy solutions that are cost-efficient and maximise operations cost such as Electric vehicles, hydrogen buses and the development of hybrid energy sources as alternative fueling for the current Bus Reform Initiative (BRI) buses.
According to the request, “These measures are indispensable in the current global economic and environmental reality to ensure the sustainability of the BRI operation.”
With the increase, a bus ride from Ikorodu to TBS will now cost N600 from N500, while Berger to Ajah is now N700, up from N600. Oshodi to Abule Egba will cost N450 from N350 and Abule-Egba-CMS-Obalende will attract a fare of N600.