Despite indications of declining inflation in other areas of the economy, commuters’ average bus price inside Nigerian cities increased to N1,431.25 per trip in May 2026, indicating ongoing pressure on transportation expenditures.
The most recent Transport Fare Watch report from the National Bureau of Statistics, which was published on Tuesday, included this information.
The average intra-city bus fare rose 2.43 percent from N1,397.27 in April 2026, according to the data. The fare increased by 38.63 percent from N1,032.46 paid in May 2025.
The study also revealed that during the assessment period, transportation expenses rose in a number of other significant categories, such as domestic air travel, motorbike (okada) journeys, intercity bus travel, and water transportation.
According to the NBS, transportation costs increased in May in almost every category, with motorbike transportation seeing the largest yearly increase.
The average fare for intercity bus travel rose by 0.96 percent from N9,607.41 in April to N9,699.55 in May, according to the data. The fare increased by 21.89 percent from N7,957.41 in May 2025.
Similarly, the average airfare for some internal trips was N157,552.19, up 20.86 percent from N130,361.85 in May 2025 and up 0.12 percent month over month.
Out of all the transport categories, motorcycle transport saw the biggest increase, with an average fare of N1,072.51. This was a 52.45 percent year-over-year gain and a 3.56 percent increase from April.
Additionally, water transport fares went up to N2,276.48 for the month, which is 30.88% more than the N1,739.32 recorded in May of previous year and up 2.41% from April.
According to the bureau, the data demonstrated that despite comparatively small monthly increases, transportation expenses remained high nationwide.
A state-by-state research revealed significant regional differences in transportation costs.
The average intercity bus fare was N11,080 in Ondo State, N11,066.13 in Abia State, and N11,066.13 in Kwara and Edo states.
At N1,878.80, Zamfara State had the highest average fare for intra-city bus travel, followed by Taraba State at N1,771.96. The states with the cheapest city bus tickets were Abia and Adamawa.
The survey also revealed that Gombe and Nasarawa states had the lowest average domestic airfares, while Kano State had the highest at N184,139.29, ahead of Lagos State at N176,971.65.
Rivers State had the highest average water transport fare at N6,893.55, while Kaduna State had the highest average motorcycle transportation fare at N1,720.76.
