States race to cut transport fares with subsidised CNG buses

ABUJA — A quiet competition is playing out among Nigerian states over who can bring transport fares down fastest, as Plateau, Kaduna and other states deploy subsidised Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses in a bid to ease the cost of moving around for ordinary commuters.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the rollout forms part of a broader national push toward CNG-powered public transport, a strategy that has gained urgency as states look for ways to cushion the lingering effects of high transport costs on households.

Why CNG, and why now

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CNG has emerged as a cheaper alternative to petrol and diesel for public transport fleets, and several state governments have moved to procure or convert buses to run on the fuel, framing it as a direct, tangible way to reduce fares without waiting on national fuel-price trends to shift.

Transporters push back on conversion costs

According to reports gotten by ValidViewNetwork, not everyone is applauding the pace of the rollout.

Transporters in some of the affected states have faulted the cost of converting existing vehicles to run on CNG, arguing that the financial burden of conversion is being under-appreciated even as government messaging focuses on the fare savings for commuters.

The road ahead

ValidViewNetwork gathered that more states are expected to join the CNG transport push in the coming months, though the tension between government’s fare-reduction targets and transporters’ conversion cost concerns is likely to remain a recurring theme as the programme scales up nationwide. ValidViewNetwork reports.