By Adedapo Adesanya
The average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey in Nigeria saw a marginal increase of 0.002 per cent between April and May 2023.
This was disclosed by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which said in its Transport Fare Watch for May 2023 the cost paid per passenger rose from N74,947.30 in April 2023 to N74,948.78 in May 2023.
On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 34.06 per cent from N55,906.86 in May 2022.
On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 11.30 per cent when compared with the value in May 2022, which was N417.39.
Meanwhile, the average fare paid for water transport (waterway passenger transportation) in May 2023 stood at N1,045.15, showing an increase of 1.39 per cent from N1,030.83 in April 2023. On a year-on-year basis, this increased by 10.99 per cent from N941.63 in May 2022.
The average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop increased by 0.23 per cent in May 2023 when N649.59 was recorded relative to N648.12 in April 2023. On a year-on-year basis, the average fare paid rose by 11.66 per cent from N581.79 in May 2022.
In another category, the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop in May 2023 was N4,002.16, indicating an increase of 0.19 per cent on a month-on-month basis compared to the N3,994.51 recorded in April 2023. On a year-on-year basis, this rose by 9.09 per cent from N3,668.64 in May 2022.
The average fare paid on commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada transportation, in May 2023 was N464.55, a 0.49 per cent increase from the rate recorded in April 2023 (N462.29).
The Transport Fare Watch for May 2023 covered bus journey within the city per drop constant route; bus journey intercity (state route) charge per person; air fare charge for specified routes single journey; journey by motorcycle (Okada) per drop; and waterway passenger transport.
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Modupe Gbadeyanka