Getting around Nigeria is becoming even more expensive. Whether it is the daily trip to work, travelling between cities or taking a motorcycle through traffic, commuters are spending more on transportation despite signs that inflation is beginning to ease in other parts of the economy.

Fresh figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics show that transport fares continued to climb across virtually every major category in May, underlining how mobility remains one of the biggest financial pressures on households and businesses.

The latest Transport Fare Watch report showed that the average fare for bus journeys within Nigerian cities rose to ₦1,431.25 per trip in May, up from ₦1,397.27 recorded in April. Compared with the same period last year, commuters are now paying 38.63 percent more for a typical intra-city bus ride.

The figures suggest that while headline inflation may be slowing, Nigerians are yet to experience meaningful relief in one of the expenses they encounter almost every day. The increase extends beyond city buses.

The average fare for intercity travel climbed to ₦9,699.55 in May from ₦9,607.41 in April, representing a modest monthly increase. However, compared with May last year, intercity transport now costs 21.89 percent more. Air travel also became more expensive during the month.

According to the NBS, the average airfare for selected domestic routes rose to ₦157,552.19, representing a slight increase from April and a 20.86 percent jump compared with the corresponding period in 2025. Motorcycle transportation recorded the sharpest increase among all categories monitored by the bureau.

The average fare for an okada trip rose to ₦1,072.51 in May, increasing by 3.56 percent over the previous month and by 52.45 percent on a year-on-year basis. Water transport also remained on an upward trend, with the average fare reaching ₦2,276.48, up 30.88 percent from a year earlier.

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Although the month-on-month increases were relatively modest, the broader picture points to transport costs remaining stubbornly high across the country.

For many Nigerians, transport is not a discretionary expense. Workers, traders, students and small business owners depend on daily mobility to earn a living, making sustained fare increases particularly difficult to absorb.

Higher transport costs also have wider economic consequences.

When it becomes more expensive to move people and goods, businesses often pass those additional costs on to consumers through higher prices. This means rising transport fares can continue to fuel inflation even as other price pressures begin to moderate.

The latest report also highlights significant differences in transport costs across states.

Ondo recorded the highest average fare for intercity bus travel at ₦11,080, closely followed by Abia at ₦11,066.13, while Kwara and Edo recorded the lowest average fares.

For city bus transportation, Zamfara posted the highest average fare at ₦1,878.80, ahead of Taraba at ₦1,771.96. Abia and Adamawa recorded the lowest intra-city bus fares.

Domestic airfares were highest in Kano at ₦184,139.29, followed by Lagos at ₦176,971.65, while Gombe and Nasarawa recorded the lowest average ticket prices.

Kaduna recorded the country’s highest average motorcycle fare at ₦1,720.76, while Rivers posted the highest average fare for water transport at ₦6,893.55.

Regional analysis showed that the South-West recorded the highest average fares for intra-city buses, intercity buses and motorcycle transportation, while the South-South recorded the highest average water transport fares.

The latest figures reinforce the reality that transport remains one of the most persistent cost pressures in Nigeria. Even as inflation shows signs of slowing, the cost of commuting continues to rise, leaving millions of Nigerians spending a growing share of their income simply to move from one place to another.

Meiza Nigeria