Endure time I paid N23,000; currently I paid N23,000,” he said.
Another passenger, Clifford Ewejiofor, said he paid N22,000 to Onitsha, Anambra Status.
He urged the government to cut petrol prices, saying fuel costs impact transportation and other commodities.
Commercial drivers too complained of low patronage. The condition is becoming remarkably difficult for both transporters and passengers,” he said.
Dandume said the high charge of fuel had increased operating expenses, whilst some operators were now making losses. Bashir Ibrahim said he paid N17,000 for the journey to Yola.
Mustapha Audu Jauro expressed doubts on an immediate reduction in fares, saying most inter-condition buses were privately owned.
“When the president announced that transport fares would be reduced from October 1, I thought he was joking. So announcing a indicator date alone cannot bring fares down,” he said.
He said the government needed to tackle the structural factors driving transportation costs and guarantee that its interventions produced measurable relief for commuters.
The Multinational Population for Social Justice and Individual Rights (ISSJHR) furthermore questioned the implementation of the October 1 commitment.
Its Chancellor, Dr Omenazu Jackson, said reports from distinct parts of the country showed that fares remained high, alongside some routes recording further increases.
“This raises a acceptable matter: what happened to the October 1 commitment?” he asked.
Jackson acknowledged government efforts to vend CNG-powered transport but said Nigerians needed clearer facts on the areas benefiting from the programme and the challenges limiting its expansion.
He said the topic was on accountability rather than an attack on the president.
“Where implementation falls compact, government should status honestly including the persons regarding the challenges, the measures being taken and the achievable timeline for achieving the stated objective,” he said.
The organisation called for bigger transparency and measurable results in the implementation of measures aimed at reducing transportation costs.
By Abbas Tijjani Madabo (Kano), Salim Ashir Mahuta (Sokoto), Tijani Labaran (Lokoja), Abdullahi Izma Yamadi (Katsina), Ali Rabiu Ali (Dutse), Promise Adagba (Akure), Usman A. How can you predict fares to come down when over 80 per cent of vehicles operating in the midst of states are privately owned?” he asked.
A driver at the station said he was unaware of the president’s promise, adding that operators would have to consider concerning their operating costs.
Sokoto
In Sokoto, checks at NURTW and Sokoto Declare Transport Authority (SSTA) parks showed that fares on different routes had risen.
Abubakar Nura said the fare from Sokoto to Birnin Kebbi increased from N3,500 two months ago to N5,000.
Another passenger, Abdul’azeez Kasim, said he now paid N12,000 to Yauri, compared together with N2,500 in 2021.
A driver said the increase was linked to petrol prices, which he said had risen from amid N1,200 and N1,300 per litre remain week to N1,480.
At the SSTA park, Abubakar Yakasai said the fare from Sokoto to Kano rose from N12,000 to N14,000.
A park personnel said fares to Katsina, Kaduna and Kano were N14,000, whereas Sokoto-Abuja expense N18,000.
The NURTW secretary in Sokoto Declare, Garba Muhammad Labaran, said the union was not conscious of any format to lessen fares.
He said rising petrol prices, low passenger numbers, insecurity and high operating costs were affecting drivers.
FCT
In the FCT, fares additionally remained unchanged, including some routes recording continued increases.
A transporter, Jude Ngochi Nwanke, said operators were additionally unable to swap to CNG as of modest conversion facilities and inadequate admission to the gas.
“As it stands now, we have not observed any reduction in fares,” he said.
Nwanke said operators had not received any subsidy or palliative that would facilitate them to cut fares.
Passengers moreover complained concerning the rising expense.
Juliet Sunday, travelling to Kano, said CNG-powered vehicles alone would not immediately lessen fares store if the government ensured sufficient CNG facilities.
Victor, at the Ifesinachi Transport Restricted in Abuja, said reducing petrol prices would have a greater steer consequence on fares.
Daniel Chinedu, another transport stakeholder, nonetheless, said CNG could lesser fares if the government provided adequate stations and ensured appropriate regulation.
Kogi
The condition remains the same in Kogi Declare, where CNG and electric vehicles are not operating on accepted intra- or inter-declare routes.
The 10 CNG buses donated by the federal government to kick-launch the programme in 2024, were not in employ, according to findings.
At assorted motor parks across the declare, no government-owned CNG buses were found operating on periodic routes.
Merely a few privately converted CNG buses operate in the middle of the Adankolo campus and the permanent site of the Federal University, Lokoja.
Students remit N600 on the course, compared using betwixt N1,000 and N1,500 for tricycles and motorcycles.
Some commercial transporters who converted their vehicles to CNG moreover continue to rate the same fares as petrol-powered vehicles.
“Motorists are charging the same fares on all routes across the condition, whether on gas or fuel. It is already 12 noon, and merely two passengers are available for a Kaduna-bound vehicle,” he said.
Another driver, Babangida Bado, described the situation as difficult and called for stronger government intervention.
Muhammadu Sa’adu, publicity officer of the Statewide Collection of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Katsina branch, said rising operating costs and declining passenger numbers were weakening the sector.
He said some drivers could settle days at motor parks free from getting adequate passengers to conceal their costs.
Jigawa
In Jigawa Status, commercial drivers said fares had increased as petrol prices rose from regarding N950 to betwixt N1,450 and N1,500 per litre in some areas.
Adamu Abdu, popularly recognized as Dan-Kargo, said the fare from Dutse to Gumel had risen from N3,000 to N4,000.
The Dutse-Hadejia fare furthermore increased by N1,000, whilst Dutse-Kano rose from N3,000 to N3,500.
He said most vehicles remained petrol-powered as numerous operators could not afford CNG conversion.
Abdu too cited tight admission to CNG as another concern, saying the merely operating CNG station recognized to them was in Dutse.
Isyaku Muhammad, a associate of the Countrywide Relationship of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), said fares from Dutse to Birnin Kudu had increased from N1,000 to N1,500, whereas the Dutse-Ringim fare had furthermore risen by N500.
Passengers said the increases were putting added pressure on households.
Musa Ismail said he had lately started pleading together with drivers to cut fares as of the rising outlay of living.
Ababa Muhammad, who said his Dutse-Kano fare had risen to N3,500, appealed to the government to intervene.
Ondo
At large motor parks in Ondo Garage, operators attributed the high fares to petrol prices and rising vehicle maintenance costs.
Idowu Babalola, chairman of the transport union at Ondo Garage, said petrol was selling for regarding N1,400 per litre, whereas spare parts and tyres had too become high-expense.
“The CNG programme is not engaged for us at the moment owing to the detail that we are not even seeing it. Nigerians are already experiencing these savings,” he said.
In his Independence Day tackle on Thursday, Tinubu again said his administration’s priority was to reduced the charge of living by lowering the price of production and transportation.
Yet, findings by Daily Trust showed that whereas some states have started putting measures in place to actualise the promise, fares stay substantially unchanged in numerous others.
Transport operators and passengers attributed the high fares generally to the rising outlay of petrol and the restricted availability of CNG-powered vehicles.
Some commuters said they expected the October 1 deadline to bring quick relief, but noted that there was little difference in fares as of Thursday.
They said a sustained reduction in fuel costs and wider connection to CNG would be needed in advance of commuters could recognize meaningful relief.
Kano
In Kano, fares remained unchanged at significant motor parks, whilst CNG-powered buses were not accessible at some government-owned terminals.
Checks at Na’ibawa, Unguwa Uku and Dogon Banki/Zaria Road bus stations showed that passengers were still paying established fares.
An official at the Na’ibawa bus station said there had been no directive from the suggestion to cut fares.
He said passengers travelling from Kano to Abuja paid N11,000, although those going to Kaduna and Bauchi paid N7,000 each. And how will government build sure that savings from cheaper CNG attain passengers?” he said.
FG to deploy 61 buses
Meanwhile, the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV) said 61 buses would before extended be deployed to ease transportation costs.
In a assert signed by its Leader of Brand and Communications, Onyekachi Eke, the initiative said 13 buses each would be deployed in the FCT, Kano and Lagos.
Five buses each would go to Delta, Kaduna and Katsina, during the time that Enugu would collect three and Borno and Niger two each.
The initiative said the deployment was expected to expand the quantity of routes where commuters could acquire from the reduced operating costs of CNG and electric vehicles.
Its Executive Chairman/CEO, Ismaeel Ahmed, said the October 1 aim should be viewed as component of an expanding programme rather than the terminate of efforts to reduced fares.
Ahmed said the key determine was whether lesser energy costs were reflected in fares paid by passengers.
He said the initiative is moreover targeting at least 150 operating CNG refuelling stations in advance of the conclude of the year.
CSOs request accountability
The Country Handbook of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Friday Odeh, said continued increases in fuel prices and transport fares had raised questions around the implementation of the president’s promise.
Odeh said environment October 1 as a grade date could not by itself cut fares owing to the detail that transportation costs were affected by fuel prices, vehicle maintenance and spare parts.
“Transportation costs are influenced by fuel prices, vehicle maintenance, spare parts, etc. Yabagi Yusuf Sani, has said the success of the Federal Government’s planned transport relief should be judged by the fares Nigerians compensate at bus stops and motor parks.
Sani said Nigerians were expecting the promised relief from the government’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and budget-approachable transportation programme to take effect from October 1, 2026.
In a assert issued on Thursday, he said the programme would just have a deliberate result if acceptable CNG infrastructure was collection across the country.
He said Nigerians should not have to rely on government announcements or commissioning ceremonies to define whether the programme was functioning.
“October 1 must so be greater than another government deadline. Nigerians cannot board an concern,” he said.
Atiku said although reduced fares on some routes were welcome, they did not process the wider transport difficulties facing Nigerians.
He too criticised the president’s assert that Nigerians had “made demanding decisions together”, saying the decisions were made by the government whilst citizens bore the consequences.
“This day is October 1. Which routes and states will advantage?
Several commuters across the country said yesterday that transportation fares remained unchanged despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s promise to cut the outlay from October 1, 2026.
Checks by Daily Trust at significant inter- and intra-situation motor parks across a lot of states showed that fares have not reduced, including passengers questioning the measures put in place by the federal and condition governments.
President Tinubu had promised cheaper transportation across the country from October 1 once meeting together with situation governors on August 27.
He said the governors had agreed to take speedy measures, including deployment of compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicles, to lessen transport costs in their states.
The president continued directed the rollout of 500 supplementary CNG refuelling stations nationwide, in addition to the 500 earlier approved, bringing the planned complete to 1,000 stations.
Later on September 19, Tinubu said Nigerians had started experiencing reductions in transport costs throughout CNG-powered and electric community transport services.
“These are not projections. Except for the Federal University shuttle buses, no CNG buses are running on any accepted course in Kogi,” said Adebayo Daramola, a motorist at the Lokoja Mega Park.
Inter-declare fares have additionally risen sharply. So, the charge remains the same,” he said.
The CNG buses promised by the declare government were furthermore yet to be distributed. Damaturu-Maiduguri increased from N2,000 to N4,000, although Damaturu-Potiskum rose from N2,000 to N3,000.
Chairman of the Yobe Traders Association, Muhammad Mukhtar Kime, said traders who journey to Kano to shop for goods were yet to feel any relief.
“We summon on the federal and declare governments to speedily offer a remedy to lessen our journey expenses,” he said.
NURTW chairman in the condition, Muhammad Maina, said the union had not received any directive on fare reduction.
He said the North East Development Commission (NEDC) had provided electric vehicles for distribution to drivers across the six states in the region, but they were yet to be deployed.
Checks at the status Ministry of Transport showed that the government had procured 20 Toyota Civic cars and nine luxury buses, albeit it was unclear whether they were linked to the federal initiative.
Bauchi
Bauchi has no CNG conversion facility or filling station, according to findings.
The condition has coincided alongside a rise in petrol prices from concerning N1,230 to N1,450 per litre.
A commuter, Rabiu Mohammed, said his fare from Bauchi to Jos increased from N4,000 in August to N4,500.
Ibrahim Tanko, chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) on the Bauchi-Abuja direction, said the fare for a Sharon bus had risen from N17,000 to N18,000, whereas the mini-bus fare increased from N25,000 to N27,000.
He said high fares had reduced passenger patronage, leaving some drivers waiting for days in advance of getting sufficient passengers.
Tanko called for assistance for vehicle purchases and fuel, saying bottom fuel prices alone would not settle the difficulty if operators could not afford vehicles.
He additionally cited inferior roads and the rising charge of spare parts as challenges.
Gombe
In Gombe, fares remained unchanged and increased on some routes.
At Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo Mega Park, a driver, Adamu Safana, said the Gombe-Taraba fare had increased from N12,000 to within N13,000 and N14,000.
The Gombe-Yola fare additionally rose from N10,000 to N11,000.
Safana attributed the increases to petrol prices, which had reached around N1,460 per litre at some filling stations.
A passenger, Sani Ibrahim, said she expected fares to fall from October 1 but met the same prices.
“We are suffering. Ukandu Ugbuaje said parks that previously had four or five vehicles loading at once now struggled to fill one vehicle.
Garba Arikya, secretary of the NURTW, Yahaya Sabo Park, said the union was conscious of the president’s promise but had yet to see concrete measures to attain it.
Ekiti
Transport fares furthermore remained high in Ekiti Status.
Ado-Ekiti to Lagos costs N15,000, although fares to Akure, Ibadan and Ilorin are N4,000, N8,000 and N7,500 respectively.
The declare government has, still, rolled out around 15 CNG buses under the Ekiti Transport Services scheme.
The buses are expected to operate on routes including Lagos, Ibadan and Port Harcourt.
A nearby, Wasiu Aliyu, urged the federal and status governments to discover a lasting explanation to rising transport costs, saying cheaper transportation would ease pressure on households.
Kwara
In Ilorin, transport operators said fares had not fallen owing to the reality that petrol prices continued to rise.
A transporter, Adebayo Qazeem, said CNG-powered vehicles were cheaper to operate, but the expense of conversion remained a important barrier.
Qazeem urged the government to recommend operators using betwixt N200,000 and N300,000 to adjust their vehicles.
Another transporter, Sulyman Malik, said petrol, which sold for concerning N1,205 per litre in August, had risen to roughly N1,375.
He said the fare to Ife had increased from regarding N5,000 to N8,000.
A tricycle rider, Jamiu, said commuters would just feel essential relief if petrol prices dropped substantially.
Niger
In Niger Status, transport operators and passengers called for wider availability to inexpensive CNG buses.
Mohammed Madiwu, a driver on the Minna-Lokoja direction, said his fuel price for the journey had risen from N30,000 to N60,000.
He said passengers now paid N12,000 for the outing, leaving operators alongside little earn.
Another driver, Ibrahim Hassan, said he spent around N80,000 on fuel to advance from Minna to Jos, including the present fare at N15,000.
Usman Ibrahim Kula, secretary of the Road Transport Employers Crew of Nigeria (RTEAN), Abdulsalami Abubakar Park, said solely six drivers at the park had converted their vehicles to CNG.
He said the conversions were carried out in Abuja as the procedure had yet to start in Niger Condition.
Kula said drivers who had converted their vehicles reported directed savings, but some operators remained reluctant as of concerns over vehicle safety.
He moreover said electric vehicles were yet to be seen in Minna.
Adamawa
In Adamawa, the Federal Government’s CNG intervention is yet to commence, as the declare is still awaiting the delivery of the promised vehicles.
Checks at important motor parks in Yola showed that no Federal Government CNG buses had been deployed.
Still, some CNG buses procured by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in 2025 were operating from Adamawa Sunshine Motor Park.
The commercial director of the organization, Aminu Mohammed, said the NLC buses expense N21,000 from Yola to Abuja, compared together with N22,000 for benchmark buses.
On the Yola-Kano path, regular buses expense N17,000, whereas the NLC CNG buses value N16,000.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Humwashi Wonosikou, said CNG and electric vehicles were already operating in the situation under the Ministry of Transport.
He said an electric tricycle assembly plant had been accepted along the Girei Road close to Modibbo Adama University, Yola.
He additionally said Adamawa had a CNG conversion centre at the entrance to the condition investment, where vehicle owners could modify petrol-powered vehicles.
Yobe
In Yobe, transport fares have increased rather than fallen.
The Damaturu-Kano fare rose from N10,000 two months ago to N12,000. The buses were still parked at the Government House, according to findings.
Nasarawa
In Lafia, the status investment, passengers told our correspondent on Thursday that they paid the same fares despite the October 1 deadline.
Usman Nuhu, travelling to Asaba, Delta Condition, said he paid N23,000, the same quantity he paid two weeks earlier.
“There is no transform. Government should fulfil its promise owing to the detail that this transport fare is too high for us,” she said.
An NURTW authorized, Saleh Hassan, said the union had not received CNG buses or any directive on fare reduction.
Bayelsa
In Bayelsa, inter-status transport fares have increased by amid N1,000 and N10,000, depending on the method.
Checks at the Igbogene transport terminal in Yenagoa showed that the Akwa Ibom Transport Organization (AKTC) fare to Uyo rose from N11,000 to N12,000.
Commercial operators increased the Yenagoa-Port Harcourt fare from N5,000 to N7,000.
The fare to Lagos rose from on N38,000 to betwixt N45,000 and N50,000, whereas Yenagoa-Abuja increased from N40,000 to in the middle of N45,000 and N50,000.
A transport enterprise administrator attributed the increases to the rising price of petrol, saying fares would fall if fuel prices dropped.
A driver, Emeka, said high fares had reduced passenger patronage.
He said a track from Bayelsa to Ughelli, Delta Situation, which he previously operated four or five times daily, now struggled to involve plenty passengers for even one entire journey.
Kebbi
The Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric vehicle programme has yet to take off in Kebbi Condition, whereas transport fares persist unchanged as of Thursday, checks at important motor parks in Birnin Kebbi showed.
A driver, Aminu Dakingari, said the fare from Birnin Kebbi to Jega, a excursion of on 15 minutes, remained N1,500, during the time that the fare to adjacent to Kalgo was N1,000.
At the Argungu motor park adjacent to Sir Yahaya Professional Hospital, drivers charge N2,000 for the 35-kilometre journey from Birnin Kebbi to Argungu.
At the Key and Sango motor parks in Birnin Kebbi, fares to Abuja selection in the midst of N28,000 and N30,000.
The fare to Kano and Kaduna is in the middle of N19,500 and N20,000.
Another driver, Sanusi Inuwa, said passengers travelling to Lagos spend up to N39,000, whereas fares to Ibadan and Ilorin are N34,000 and N26,000 respectively.
Transport operators said the absence of CNG and electric vehicles in the declare had left them dependent on petrol, making it difficult to lessen fares.
Prolonged queues at CNG stations in Abuja
Extended queues have continued at Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations in Abuja as commercial drivers struggle to gain the solution amid high name for.
Checks by Daily Trust showed that motorists still invest important time at some CNG stations waiting to refill their vehicles, although the queues appeared shorter than usual in modern days.
A commercial driver who spoke including Daily Trust said queues had remained a ordinary attribute at CNG stations.
“Nothing has changed, and queues stay one of the features of CNG stations,” he said.
Another commercial driver and CNG person said he had avoided buying the goods in original days owing to the reality that of the time required to unite the queues.
He said there was little alter in the CNG promote, adding that prices remained largely the same whilst require continued to outstrip furnish.
Reveal cheaper transport course you promised, Atiku tells Tinubu
Meanwhile, former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, challenged President Tinubu to display Nigerians the cheaper transport fares promised from October 1.
Atiku made the summon in his Independence Day statement to Nigerians, saying commuters were still asking where they could entry the promised bottom fares.
“Reveal them the routes and the prices. How several CNG buses are actually operating? Nigerians deserve to be aware of: How much will fares fall? Lokoja-Anyigba, which price N3,000 in mid-2025, now costs N5,000.
Lokoja-Okene increased from N1,500 to N3,000, whereas Lokoja-Kabba rose from regarding N3,000 to N5,000.
Katsina
In Katsina Status, transport operators and passengers said rising petrol prices had continued to change their businesses and daily movement.
Abdullahi Dandume, chairman of the Nationwide Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Katsina Key Motor Park Branch, said the branch had not received any CNG vehicle from either the federal or situation government.
“We have not received any CNG vehicle from either the condition or federal government. Did your promise miss the bus?” Atiku asked, adding that Nigerians needed to understand which routes had become cheaper, the preceding fares and the novel rates.
ADP: Judge CNG transport relief by fares Nigerians remit
The Statewide Chairman of the Advance Democratic Party (ADP), Engr. He said some residents had resorted to motorcycles and bicycles owing to the point that they were cheaper.
Transport operators additionally complained regarding declining passenger numbers.
Ibrahim Idris, who operates inter-condition services to Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and Sokoto, said passengers were increasingly avoiding unnecessary journeys owing to the truth that of the price.
“Look at the condition here. The fare to Yola was N17,000.
The legitimate said some individual operators had even increased their fares following the rise in petrol prices.
Another authorized at a status-owned bus station said they had received neither modern CNG buses nor any directive to decrease fares.
He said simply one professional had so far introduced a CNG-powered bus in Kano, but the fare was the same as that charged by petrol-powered vehicles.
Passengers confirmed that fares had not dropped.
Zahraddeen Sani, travelling to Abuja, said he paid N11,000, during the time that Musa Hassan, travelling to Kaduna, paid N7,000. Bello (Benin), Abubakar Abdullahi (Lafia), Raphael Ogbonnaiye (Ado-Ekiti), Mumini Abdulkareem (Ilorin), Nda Alhaji (Minna), Umar Dankano (Yola), Habibu Idris Gimba (Damaturu), Hassan Ibrahim (Bauchi), Haruna Gimba Yaya (Gombe), Ismail Adebayo (Birnin kebbi), Bassey Willie (Yenagoa), Ibrahim Yusuf, Baba Martins, Faruk Shuaibu & Daniel Adaji (Abuja)
We cannot lesser transport fares now given that it will volume to a loss for operators,” he said.
A commercial driver on the Akure-Lagos course, Unisa Aliyu, said the outlay of fuel for a Lagos journey had increased sharply.
He said the fare to Lagos was now N12,100 per passenger and could merely come down if petrol prices dropped significantly.
A passenger, James Momoh, said commuters understood the difficulties facing drivers but urged the government to cut fuel prices or assistance mass transit operators together with cheaper fuel.
Edo
In Edo Condition, fares remained unchanged across important motor parks visited in Benin City, findings showed.
At Afemai Park, Dawson Junction, the fare from Benin City to Auchi remained N7,000, although a journey to Abuja still expense N33,000.
Fares at the government-owned Novel Edo Line park were too unchanged.
A driver, Jerry Peter, said petrol was still selling for around N1,400 per litre, making it difficult for operators to reduced fares.
“We are still utilizing petrol and subsidy has not been restored.
Source: Nigerians await cheaper fares
