The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes for a single journey increased by 34.06 per cent within a year.

This was disclosed in the NBS' Transport Fare Watch Report for May 2023, released in Abuja on Tuesday.

The NBS said the fare increased on a year-on-year basis from N55,906.86 in May 2022 to N74,948.78 in May 2023 but did not state the reasons behind the significant spike observed in the prices of airfares within the period under review.

Experts attributed the high prices in airfares and transportation generally to the fluctuating prices of aviation fuel and forex scarcity.

“In air travel, the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey increased by 0.002% on a month-on-month basis from N74,947.30 in April 2023 to N74,948.78 in May 2023,” the NBS said.

According to the NBS report, the Transport Fare Watch for May 2023 covers bus journeys within the city per drop in regular route, bus journey intercity (state route) charge per person, air fare charge for specified routes single journey, journey by motorcycle (Okada) per drop and water-way passenger transport.

Other categories
The report said the average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop increased by 0.23 per cent in May as N649.59 was recorded relative to N648.12 in April.

On an annual basis, it said the average fare rose by 11.66 per cent from N581.79 recorded within the same quarter in May 2022.

In another category, the NBS said the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop in May was N4,002.16. This signifies an increase of 0.19 per cent on a month-on-month basis compared to the N3,994.51 recorded in April, the report noted.

On a year-on-year basis, the NBS said the bus journey fare rose by 9.09 per cent from N3,668.64 last year in May.

Similarly, the report noted that the average fare paid on motorcycle transportation in May was N464.55, a 0.49 per cent increase from the rate recorded in April (N462.29).

“On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 11.30% compared with the value in May 2022, which was N417.39,” the report said.

It said the average fare paid for water transport (waterway passenger transportation) in May stood at N1,045.15, showing an increase of 1.39 per cent from N1,030.83 in April.

Also, on a year-on-year basis, the rate increased by 10.99 per cent from N941.63 in May last year.

States' performance
The NBS said Taraba State recorded the highest bus journey fare within the city (per drop, regular route) in May with N870.00, followed by Bauchi with N810.04, while Borno recorded the least with N510.14.

For intercity bus travel (state route charged per person fare), the report said the highest fare was recorded in Abuja with N6,205.10, followed by Adamawa with N5,725.14, while the least was recorded in Kwara State with N2,000.00.

Meanwhile, Kebbi State recorded the highest air transport fare (for specified routes, single journeys) in May with N80,000, Bayelsa with N79,050, and Abia recorded the least with N69,800.

“Kwara State had the highest motorcycle transport fare in May 2023 with N760.00, followed by Lagos with N750.04, while the least fare was recorded in Edo with N158.05,” the report said.

Similarly, it said water transport fare was highest in Delta State with N3,510, followed by Rivers with N3,500, while the least was recorded in Borno with N360. 00.

The statistics office analysis by zone showed that transport fares of bus journeys within the city in May recorded the highest in the North-east with N703.41, followed by the South-south with N660.75, while the South-east recorded the least with N617.14.

Regarding bus journey intercity, it said the South-west had the highest fare with N4,256.78, followed by the North-east with N4,154.38, while the North-west recorded the least with N3,825.19.

“The North-east recorded the highest air transport fare in May 2023 with N77,058.33, followed by the South-east with N75,350.00, while the North-central had the least with N72,950.71,” the report said.

The NBS said commuters on a motorcycle (Okada) paid the highest fare in the North-central with N528.95, followed by the South-west with N519.83, while the North-west recorded the least with N337.26.

For water transport, the report noted that the South-south had the highest fare paid with N2,502.50, followed by the South-west with N958.34, while the North-east had the least food with N656.67.