Despite President Bola Tinubu’s directive that transportation fares should begin to fall from October 1 through the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas-powered buses, commuters across several states have continued to pay the same, and in some cases higher, fares.
Findings by The PUNCH across the states on Thursday showed that the presidential directive had yet to translate into widespread reductions in transport fares.
While some state governments have introduced subsidised or free CNG-powered transportation schemes, the initiatives remain limited in coverage, leaving millions of commuters dependent on commercial buses whose operators continue to grapple with high fuel, spare parts and maintenance costs.
In several states, transport unions said they had not received CNG buses, while motorists complained about inadequate infrastructure, including a shortage of refuelling facilities and conversion centres.
The situation was particularly evident in Enugu, Anambra, Delta, Imo, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Gombe, Edo, Plateau, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Ogun states, where checks showed that fares remained largely unchanged as the October 1 deadline took effect.
President Bola Tinubu had urged state governments on September 19 to ensure that savings from cheaper CNG-powered transportation translate into lower fares for Nigerians by October 1.
Tinubu made the charge in a statement updating Nigerians on the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme, established after his August 27 meeting with the 36 state governors.
He said the objective agreed with the governors was for more Nigerians to begin experiencing “measurable reductions in transportation costs” from October 1.
“I encourage every state to maintain the momentum towards October 1. Work with transport unions and commercial operators. Support conversion and fleet deployment.
“Facilitate the infrastructure required. Above all, ensure that savings from cheaper energy reach Nigerian citizens through lower fares,” he said.
The President said several states were already recording reductions in transport fares through CNG-powered and electric buses.
Speaking to The PUNCH on Thursday, the Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles, Ismaeel Ahmed, insisted that several states, including Borno, Kaduna, Zamfara and Ebonyi, have started reducing transport fares through the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas and electric vehicles.
He further disclosed that fare reductions had commenced on some routes ahead of the Federal Government’s October 1 target.
Responding to PUNCH’s findings, Ahmed explained that October 1 was not a deadline for all states to implement fare reductions simultaneously, but the date from which the Federal Government would begin monitoring the rollout across the country.
He said, “The President and the Governors sat on August 27 to make a commitment to see that they have deepened the use of alternative fuel vehicles, that is CNG and electric vehicles, in different parts of the country.
‘’The Federal Government has made a significant investment both in terms of infrastructure and equipment for the last three years and he, the President, indulged the governors to make a commitment to do their own part at the sub-national level, what the governors have done. So, the price fare reduction have already started happening in different routes, but of course the 1st of October is not a day that, it’s not a be-all date that everything would happen at the same time, no.”
Ahmed further stated that the Federal Government would monitor the commencement of fare reductions on routes where CNG and electric vehicles were being used.
“It is a date where we will begin to monitor the commencement of fare reduction in routes where CNG and EV are being used in different states and right now I can tell you for free that in Abuja, in the last two, three years, we’ve been using CNG buses in different high-traffic routes like from the Federal Secretariat to Gwagwalada to Kubwa and anywhere. If you like, you can go tomorrow and check on a CNG bus, you will see that the fare reduction is significantly lower.”
According to him, Lagos has also begun expanding the use of CNG buses, following the donation of 20 buses to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.
“In Lagos we just donated about 20 CNG buses to LAMATA to start using as operators to start cutting down the fare prices in between Lagos and Ibadan and so on within Lagos and other areas as well.”
Ahmed said Kaduna had also recorded significant reductions in fares after adopting CNG buses over the past two years.
He added that Zamfara had launched 100 electric taxis, while Ebonyi was providing free transportation for some categories of residents.
“Zamfara just launched their electric vehicles, 100 taxis, their fares are significantly reduced. Ebonyi is using their buses, it’s free for their civil servants and students. We are trying to see how we can bring that to the wider public,” Ahmed explained.
He also highlighted the fare reduction recorded in Borno State, where electric vehicles were being used to provide transportation at significantly lower rates.
“In Borno they are using EVs and then they are charging about 15 Naira as opposed to about 200 to 500 Naira for each trip,” he said.
Ahmed said the Federal Government was aware that the initiative had not yet reached all parts of the country, but would continue to expand the use of alternative fuel vehicles.
“So, there are a lot of stories all over the country, but it’s not everywhere yet but it is a beginning. What the President said is that there will be commencement of fare reduction by 1st of October and God willing, we are going to keep following that up to make sure that we deepen it and it pervades every community and every high traffic corridors.”
However, findings by this newspaper indicated that several states had yet to implement the low fare directive.
In Anambra State, transport fares remained unchanged on October 1, with commuters paying N700 from Upper Iweka to Oba and about N2,000 from Awka to Onitsha.
Some drivers said they were unaware of the Federal Government’s CNG buses, while gas stations in the state were reportedly not operational.
A commercial transport operator, Uche Daniel, blamed the high cost of spare parts and bad roads for the inability of transporters to reduce fares.
He said, “Even the CNG buses cannot reduce transport fare because the roads are bad, which make our vehicles faulty, and we have to take a long distance to our destination as we avoid bad roads and delays in areas where roads are being repaired.”
Daniel also cited the closure of the First Niger Bridge, saying motorists had been forced to use inner roads that were in poor condition.
In Delta State, transport operators similarly said there had been no reduction in fares.
The PUNCH observed only five CNG-branded buses parked at the Commissioner for Transport’s lodge in Asaba.
The Chairman of the NURTW Summit Motor Park, Asaba, Emeka Okoro, said the union had not received any CNG buses and therefore had not reduced its fares.
“They have not given us any buses, and we have not reduced transport fare. We cannot reduce transport fare when the cost of buying fuel is still high,” he said.
Okoro stated that the government needed to address fuel prices and ensure that transport unions and drivers had access to CNG-powered vehicles.
In Imo State, the situation was similar, with commercial transporters saying they were yet to receive Federal Government CNG buses.
Although the state’s All Progressives Congress spokesman, Jones Onwuasoanya, argued that the President’s promise was on course and that the state had started taking delivery of CNG vehicles, checks by The PUNCH at major motor parks showed that transport fares remained high.
A driver said a journey from Owerri to Akokwa cost N4,500, while Owerri to Awka cost as much as N9,000.
“The CNG bus is not in Imo, and we have not seen anyone. Imagine paying N4,500 from Owerri to Akokwa and paying N9,000 from Owerri to Awka. These places increased by 50 per cent. The President should reduce the fuel price and forget about all this unrealistic talk about CNG,” he said.
Another driver, Emeka, questioned the reach of the programme, saying the state’s transport system was largely driven by private bus owners.
“Have we also talked about the modalities of the operation? Imo State is run by private bus owners. These are factors of consideration. We expect the Federal Government to reduce pump price,” he said.
In Sokoto and Kebbi states, transport fares also remained unchanged.
At the Central Motor Park in Sokoto, passengers travelling to Kebbi continued to pay between N5,000 and N6,000, while journeys to Kano or Kaduna cost about N20,000 on commercial vehicles.
In Kebbi, a journey to Sokoto remained about N5,000 on commercial buses, although state-owned transport vehicles charged N3,500 on the same route.
The lower fares offered by state-owned services provided some relief, but their limited coverage meant that most passengers still relied on commercial operators.
In Jigawa State, residents of Dutse expressed disappointment that fares had not fallen.
At Dutse Central Motor Park and Shuwarin Motor Park, passengers said fares remained unchanged.
A passenger travelling to Kano, Isa Hamisu, said, “They told us fare will come down by October 1. I am paying N3,500 to Kano today just like last week. There is no change. I don’t know which one is a CNG bus.”
Another commuter, Abba Garba, said the fare to Hadejia remained N5,000.
However, the Jigawa State Chairman of NARTO, Bello Usman Dunaro, confirmed the union had received government support under the CNG initiative.
“About 100 of our vehicles were converted to CNG courtesy of the initiative from the government. The intention is to reduce transportation fares for the people. We are still working on it,” he said.
In Gombe State, passengers also reported no reduction in fares on routes operated by the state transport service and private companies.
A passenger, Naomi Sambo, said she expected the Federal Government’s intervention to result in cheaper fares.
“Transportation to Abuja is still as it has been. I came to pick a bus expecting to see changes. What they said is in the papers,” she said.
Another passenger, Murtala Sabo, observed that the fare to Kaduna remained unchanged.
The Managing Director of the Gombe State Transport Service, Dr Sani Sabo, revealed that the agency was exploring alternatives to prevent fares from rising further and was working towards converting some buses to CNG.
In Edo State, transport fares also remained unchanged.
Short-distance journeys in Benin ranged between N200 and N300, while longer journeys cost N500 to N600. Even vehicles already converted to CNG had not reduced their fares.
An official of the transport union blamed the high cost of spare parts and inadequate gas infrastructure.
He said some buses had to queue for hours, and sometimes days, to refill with gas.
The Edo State Government, however, said it would launch 50 52-seater CNG buses later in the month.
The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, disclosed that the buses would be distributed to the three senatorial districts according to commuters’ strength.
He added that once the passengers have the option of cheaper rates from the CNG buses, other transporters would be forced to reduce their fares.
“We are also launching our own CNG next month with over fifty 52-seater CNG buses. They will be distributed according to commuter strength across the three senatorial districts. Once the passengers have the option of cheaper rates from the CNG, other transporters will be forced to reduce their fares,” he stated.
In Enugu State, commuters continued to grapple with high fares despite the operation of government-owned CNG buses.
The buses charge a flat N300 fare, but their limited routes and operating hours have restricted their impact. For instance, a journey from Emene to Old Park in Enugu metropolis costs N600 in regular commercial buses, compared with N300 on the government CNG buses.
However, the CNG buses operate mainly on major routes during the morning and evening periods, leaving commuters with little choice but to patronise more expensive commercial vehicles outside those periods.
The state government had rolled out 100 CNG mass transit buses a year ago from an acquisition plan of 200 units, but there was no available information on whether the remaining buses had been procured.
An official of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria in the state said the union had not been informed about the lower fares promised by the President.
Efforts to obtain comments from the state Commissioners for Information and Transport were unsuccessful.
In Kaduna State, where the government has operated a free CNG-powered mass transit scheme, commuters have had some relief on selected routes. However, commercial transport fares outside the CNG network remain high.
A journey from Kawo to Kasuwa, which previously cost less than N300, was reported to cost about N500 on commercial vehicles, while Kasuwa to Sabon Tasha also cost about N500.
The state government had rolled out 100 CNG buses and said the buses had carried about 3.2 million passengers in their first year, saving commuters more than N3.5bn in transport costs.
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, said Kaduna remained the only state providing completely free CNG-powered mass transit services.
He emphasised that the scheme operated across eight routes, using 100 buses and about 200 bus stops.
However, residents noted that the benefit remained limited to commuters who could access the designated routes.
In Plateau State, transport fares in Jos also remained unchanged despite the October 1 directive.
CNG buses were not yet operating in the state, while government-owned metro buses continued to charge N200.
A resident, Moses Gyang, said he paid N1,000 from Bukuru to Terminus, the same amount he paid before October 1.
The Commissioner for Transport, Davou Jatau, however, said Plateau had already gone ahead of the Federal Government’s directive through its subsidised transport scheme.
He said government-supported buses transported about 13,000 commuters daily at N200, compared with more than N500 charged by commercial operators.
According to him, the state was also working with the National Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria, to establish a CNG and hybrid vehicle conversion centre in Jos.
He identified the absence of a refuelling station as one of the major challenges confronting the CNG initiative.
Commercial transport fares similarly remained unchanged in Ondo, while no CNG buses were seen operating across the state.
A taxi driver said he was unaware of any CNG buses being deployed and questioned how fares could be reduced while petrol remained expensive.
However, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transport, Muyiwa Ogunyemi, mentioned that the state was working on CNG conversion centres and additional gas outlets.
In Osun State, intra-city and interstate transport fares also remained unchanged.
The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the state was still waiting for CNG buses promised by the Federal Government.
He said the state’s difficult financial situation had also constrained its ability to provide immediate subsidised transportation.
“The Federal Government promised us CNG buses, but we have yet to get any. We know that with the intervention of the President to reduce transportation costs, Osun will get its own share of CNG.”
In Oyo State, fares across major routes in Ibadan remained at levels introduced following the increase in petrol prices.
For example, Ojoo to Mokola remained N600, compared with N500 before the latest petrol price increase, while Ojoo to Iwo Road cost between N400 and N500.
Passengers said they had yet to see any difference in fares.
A trader, Bisi Ogunade, said, “President Bola Tinubu said October 1, and today is that day. Let’s wait and see from this weekend whether the president was lying or not. But today, I boarded it at the same price.”
In Ogun State, there was also no immediate fare reduction.
A journey from Kuto to Ijebu Ode remained N3,500, regardless of whether the vehicle was powered by CNG or petrol. Kuto to Ita Oshin costs between N600 and N700, while Kuto to Sagamu was N2,000 and above.
A driver said rising fuel prices, maintenance expenses and general living costs made it difficult to reduce fares.
The Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, assured the state government would soon make a formal pronouncement on its response to the presidential directive.
“Today (Thursday) is still October 1st and a public holiday, but in the days coming, the state government, in addition to actions taken in the past, will reveal its interventions that are to help cushion the situation.”
Additional reporting: Godwin Isenyo, Adeyinka Adedipe, Chima Azubuike, Salisu Kabuga, Animasahun Salman, Chigozie Uzosike, Uche Okere, Efecha Gold, Ikenna Obianeri, Raphael Ede, Ademola Adegbite and Bankole Taiwo
Source: punchng.com
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