By Aliyu Galadima
Cost of waterway passenger transportation in Nigeria saw a significant rise, with the average fare increasing by 34.45% year-on-year, reaching N1,385.95 per trip in April 2024, up from N1,030.83 in April 2023.
This data, sourced from the National Bureau of Statistics ,NBS, Transport Fare Watch for April 2024, was recently published on the NBS website.
Additionally, the report highlighted a minor month-on-month increase of 0.12%, compared to the average fare of N1,384.32 recorded in March 2024.
“For water transport (waterway passenger transportation), the average fare paid in April 2024 increased to N1,385.95 from N1,384.32 which indicates an increase of 0.12% on a monthly basis.
“On a year-on-year basis, it increased by 34.45% from N1,030.83 in April 2023,” the report read in part.
Additionally, the report revealed significant regional variations in fare prices. Bayelsa State recorded the highest average fare for waterway passenger transportation at N4,500 per trip.
Delta State followed in second place with an average fare of N4,200 per trip, while Rivers State came in third at N4,000 per trip.
Conversely, Borno State had the lowest average fare, with passengers paying N460 per trip.
Gombe State was next with an average fare of N560 per trip, and the Federal Capital Territory ,FCT, ranked third lowest at N630 per trip.
The NBS report also highlights significant changes in waterway passenger transportation fare prices across different geopolitical zones in April 2024.
In the North Central zone, the average fare for water transport was N985.71, reflecting a slight decrease of 0.74% from N988.57 in March 2024, but representing a 28.25% increase compared to N768.57 in April 2023.
In the North East zone, commuters paid an average fare of N770.00 per trip, marking a small increase of 0.22% from N768.33 in March 2024, and a 17.26% rise from N656.67 in April 2023.
The North West zone saw an average fare of N842.86 per trip, indicating a 0.34% increase from N840.00 in March 2024, and a 17.64% increase from N716.45 in April 2023.
In the South East region, the average fare for water transport was N922.00, unchanged from March 2024. Compared to April 2023, when the fare was N698.10, this marks a 32.07% rise.
For the South West zone, passengers paid an average fare of N1,350.00 per trip, representing a 1.22% decrease from N1,366.67 in March 2024, but reflecting a 42.10% rise from N950.01 in April 2023.
In the South South zone, the average fare per trip was N3,525.00, reflecting a 0.71% increase from N3,500.00 in March 2024. Despite this increase, the fare is still 44.71% higher than the N2,435.83 recorded in April 2023.
The analysis shows that in April 2024, the South -South zone had the highest fare on water transport with N3,525.00, followed by the South-West with N1,350.00, while the North-East had the lowest with N770.00.
