The South South geopolitical zone recorded the highest intercity bus travel fares in July 2024 across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with an average fare of N7,637.14, exceeding the national average of N7,117.17.
This data is sourced from the Transport Fare Watch report for July 2024, released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
According to the report, the South South’s July 2024 average represents a 0.42% increase from the previous month’s figure of N7,604.90 and a significant 29.50% rise compared to July 2023.
Following closely, the South East zone recorded the second-highest intercity bus travel fares in July 2024, with an average of N7,319.64. This marks a 1.11% month-on-month increase from N7,238.93 in June and a 14.19% year-on-year increase from N6,410.30 in July 2023.
The North East zone ranked third, with an average fare of N7,051.65, showing a slight 0.20% increase from N7,037.39 in June and a 15.96% rise compared to N6,081.04 in July 2023.
The North West zone followed with an average fare of N7,000.17 in July 2024, reflecting a 0.12% increase from June’s N6,991.93 and a 24.05% increase from N5,643.03 in July 2023.
The South West zone recorded the fifth-highest fares, averaging N6,986.37, a 0.20% increase from N6,972.10 in June and a 14.37% rise from N6,108.39 in July 2023.
The North Central zone had the lowest intercity bus fares in July 2024, with an average of N6,812.11, representing a 0.22% increase from N6,797.25 in June 2024 and a 22.44% rise from N5,563.74 in July 2023.
More insight
The NBS report for July 2024 also offered a detailed analysis of intercity bus fares across Nigeria at the state level, highlighting significant disparities.
- Anambra State, located in the South East geopolitical zone, led the nation with the highest average intercity bus fare, reaching N9,566.89. Gombe State followed in second place with an average fare of N8,299.44, while Akwa Ibom State ranked third with an average of N8,211.11.
- Other states that recorded notably high intercity bus fares in July 2024 included Abia State with an average of N8,125, Delta State at N8,171.88, Cross River State at N8,052.78, Bayelsa State at N8,091.89, and Abuja with an average of N8,058.39.
- On the lower end of the spectrum, several states experienced significantly reduced average intercity bus fares. Kwara State recorded the lowest average at N5,518.38, followed by Ebonyi State with an average of N5,596.11.
- Taraba State had an average fare of N6,082.83, while Imo State’s average stood at N6,205. Jigawa State reported an average of N6,296.11, Edo State N6,227.22, and Nasarawa State recorded an average of N6,313.38.