Subsidy removal: Lagos govt slashes bus fare by 50%

The Lagos State Government has cut the transportation costs of all state-owned transportation systems by 50% in order to lessen the effects of the elimination of fuel subsidies.

The state’s most vulnerable citizens would also receive food, according to the government’s promise.

At a press conference held on Monday at the Lagos House in Ikeja, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said that the state government is working to put these palliatives into place to lessen the suffering brought on by the elimination of subsidies.

The governor stated that the government’s 50% cut in transport expenses would go into effect on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

He continued by saying that procedures had also been put in place by the informal transportation sector, particularly the yellow bus industry, to lower their prices by 25%.

“We’ve had extensive conversations with all of the stakeholders in our transport system, both formal and informal modes of transportation, and we have come to a conclusion, which the state government will be supporting,” Governor Sanwo-Olu said.

“Immediately from Wednesday, all public transportations that are being controlled by LAMATA, all of the high capacity buses, will be plying all the routes of Lagos at 50 per cent discount, and all commuters that will be plying these routes will start enjoying a 50 per cent rebate on the transport fares that are currently being charged on all of these routes,” he added

“For the informal buses, they are also going to make a pronouncement today, and I can say to you that we have agreed with them that they will be doing about 25 per cent reduction on their buses — all of the yellow buses that we have on the streets.”

To facilitate commuting to and from work, Sanwo-Olu added that more staff buses had been purchased for state civil service employees.

He made this statement as commuters continued to bemoan the rise in transport costs brought on by the recent elimination of fuel subsidies.