CNG, Electric Vehicles: 7 States, FCT Record 31 To 81% Cheaper Fares, Says Tinubu

By Nse Anthony-Uko & Jonathan Nda- Isaiah  Abuja, Igho Oyoyo, Abuja , Kalu Eziyi, Umuahia, Francis Okoye, Maiduguri, Francis Okoye, Maiduguri,  Achor Abimaje,Jos, Abu Nmodu, Minna, Aza Msue

President Bola  Tinubu has said Nigerians are already saving on transport in parts of the country served by new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric buses.

This is as he urged all 36 states to ensure that cheaper energy translates into lower transport fares from October 1.

In a post on his official X handle yesterday, the president listed fare reductions in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), ranging from 31 per cent to about 83 per cent. In an infographic titled, “Cheaper transport, real savings” alongside the post, citing state governments and PI-CNG & EV as its sources, President Tinubu said,

“These are not projections. Nigerians are already experiencing these savings,” Mr Tinubu wrote.

Borno recorded the steepest drop. According to the President, CNG-powered and electric public transport services in the state are moving commuters for between N50 and N100 on routes where commercial operators charge between N300 and N600, a cut of about 83 per cent.

In Oyo, CNG buses deployed to Pacesetter Transport brought the Lagos-Ibadan fare down from about N8,000 to N3,200 during the initial deployment, a reduction of 60 per cent.

He said that in Plateau, government-supported buses carry about 13,000 commuters daily for N200, compared with more than N500 charged commercially.

That is a cut of at least 60 per cent.

Also, alternative-energy transit services in Adamawa have reduced fares by as much as 50 per cent, including journeys that fell from N8,000 to N4,000. In Enugu, where 100 CNG buses have been deployed, the Enugu-Nsukka fare has dropped from N2,500 to N1,500, or 40 per cent, while in Niger, passengers on the Suleja-Abuja service now pay N550 compared with about N800, a cut of about 31 per cent.

According to him, Abia has deployed 40 electric buses with fares subsidised by 50 per cent.

In the FCT, the President said a partnership with the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has given passengers on CNG-converted commercial vehicles a 40 per cent fare reduction on several Abuja commuter routes. The fare from Area 1 to Gwagwalada has fallen from N1,500 to N900, Nyanya from N700 to N420, and Wuse from N400 to J240.

Beyond the states with fare figures, President Tinubu pointed to growing fleets elsewhere.

He said Edo already has 50 CNG buses in active service, while Kano has converted more than 1,000 commercial vehicles and is rapidly expanding its conversion and refuelling network.

Delta, Kwara and Lagos are expanding CNG-supported transport services, he said, and Akwa Ibom has taken delivery of 50 CNG buses ahead of commercial operations.

The infographic showed that that Nasarawa runs more than 30 CNG buses, with a conversion centre and refuelling station at Azuba.

Nationally, the President said his administration had spent the last three years building a CNG transportation ecosystem. More than 120,000 vehicles have been converted, he said, and the country has over 400 certified conversion centres and more than 90 CNG refuelling stations, with the figures increasing daily.

Tinubu said he met the governors of the 36 states on August 27 and they agreed that more Nigerians should begin to see measurable reductions in transportation costs from October 1.

An implementation committee for the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme was subsequently set up under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, chaired by the governor of Kwara State and Forum Chairman, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

The president said he was aware of the considerable work already under way by the committee, PI-CNG & EV, the states and other stakeholders to identify priority transport corridors, determine appropriate interventions and put arrangements in place. He said the work had become more urgent because of the current global energy crisis, with disruptions to supplies again putting pressure on petrol and diesel prices and raising transport costs across the world.