There are indications that the numbers for subsequent months would increase more as demand drives the cost of transportation due to the festive season.
Findings have revealed that passengers travelling to major cities will pay as much as N50,000 for a bus ticket to embark on an interstate trip during the Christmas period.
BusinessDay reported that GUO Transport Company's ticket price shows that a Sienna bus heading to Owerri from Lagos would cost passengers N50,500 per seat during Christmas. On a Hiace bus, it is pretty cheaper at N42,000.
Similarly, according to GUO Christmas ticket rate, Lagos to Abuja bus tickets will cost as much as N49,000, while Abuja to Lagos would cost N50,000.
This means that passengers may be paying as much as a 45% increase in transport costs to different states in a few days.
Chijioke Osondu, a Lagos-based man, told BusinessDay that the increase in transportation fares is expected due to fuel subsidy removal, which led to a hike in fuel prices.
He said:
“So, it is not surprising that a bus ticket to the East or Abuja from Lagos will be over N40,000 this Christmas.”
Osondu explained how he had to suspend plans to travel to the eastern part of Nigeria with his family of five because he did not have N400,000 to make the trip to and fro.
Peter Austin told Legit.ng that as much as he would like to visit home this year to celebrate the season with his family, the hike in transport fare could make this unrealistic.
He said:
“With transport fare this high, it means I will need to budget at least N100,000 to travel to the east just for transport fare. Don’t forget that budget for other things have not been included in this.”
“With the hike in everything this year. My going home is doubtful. If I miss this year’s, doesn’t mean I can’t go subsequently.”
