The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has disclosed that the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes on a single journey rose to N123,700.14 in August 2024.
This represents a 25.51 per cent increase compared to N98,560.28 in the previous month.
The NBS said in a report that on a year-on-year basis, the fare jumped by 56.56 per cent from N79,011.38 in August last year, making air travel more expensive for commuters.
Conversely, the report showed that the average fare for bus journeys within cities dropped to N869.35 in August 2024, showing a decrease of 7.77 per cent from N942.61 in July 2024.
On a year-on-year comparison, the fare dropped by 34.95 per cent from N1,336.38 in August 2023.
For intercity bus journeys, the average fare rose slightly by 0.59 per cent, reaching N7,159.00 in August 2024, compared to N7,117.17 in July this year.
On an annual basis, the fare increased by 20.97 per cent, up from N5,918.18 in August 2023, reflecting rising operational costs for transport companies.
Meanwhile, commuters using motorcycles (popularly known as Okada) experienced a fare increase with the average fare for a single drop in August 2024 rising to N524.22, an increase of 8.46 per cent from N483.33 in July 2024.
However, on a year-on-year basis, the fare dropped by 18.87 per cent from N646.12 in August 2023.
Waterway transportation, often used in riverine areas, also recorded a hike, with the average fare paid for waterway passenger transport rising to N1,449.34 in August 2024, an increase of 3.30 per cent from N1,402.95 in July 2024. On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 3.03 per cent from N1,406.74 recorded in August 2023.
