The Governor of Lagos State, Bababjide Sanwo-Olu, has officially sanctioned and mandated a 25% price cut for fares on controlled bus and rail transportation networks that cover various routes in the state.
According to Sanwo-Olu, ‘the implementation takes effect from Tuesday, November 7, 2023.’
The issuance of this directive was prompted by the public’s strong reaction on Monday, subsequent to the removal of the 50% fare rebate for regulated bus, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and rail transport within the state.
In the early hours of Monday, commuters were left stranded and openly expressed their frustration with what they perceived as the state government’s indifference to the prevailing challenging economic circumstances. They criticized the decision to raise public transportation fares, which were supposed to ease the burden on the masses.
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The state government announced over the weekend that it would be reverting to the previous public transport fare rates in the state.
The discount on transportation fares within Lagos’ regulated system expired last Sunday, totaling a 50% reduction.
LAMATA, as confirmed by its Head of Corporate Communication, Kolawole Ojelabi, released a statement announcing the intention to return to the pre-August 2, 2023 fare structure from Monday, November 6, 2023.
State Governor Sanwo-Olu made an announcement in August regarding a 50% reduction in the rates of public transportation services, encompassing BRT Standard routes, First and Last Mile, Rail, and Ferry, as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of the fuel subsidy removal initiated by President Bola Tinubu.
However, the sudden withdrawal of the subsidy caused economic hardship for typical Nigerian households, which led to the decision of some states to introduce relief initiatives to alleviate the effects.
As for Lagos, they introduced a 50% reduction in transport fares.
After its discontinuation, the state government announced that the rebate package had accumulated savings of N1.9 billion for commuters in transport costs within eight weeks by October.
Speaking on the 25 per cent rebate, Ojelabi said, ‘Following appeals to the Governor, he has extended the passenger fare reduction by 25 per cent across the regulated bus and rail transport services until another review is announced.’
‘Within the three months of the rebate, the pump price of diesel jumped from N867 in August to N1,300 in November 2023 representing about 50 per cent jump.’