President Bola Tinubu disclosed this after an August 27 meeting with the 36 state governors, where they agreed to work towards measurable reductions in transportation costs from October 1.
Following the meeting, an implementation committee for the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme was established under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and chaired by Kwara State Governor and NGF Chairman, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
The committee, working with PI-CNG, state governments and other stakeholders, is identifying priority routes and developing interventions ahead of the October 1 target.
Tinubu cited existing reductions in transportation costs in several states as examples of the impact of CNG and electric-powered buses.
In Borno, CNG and electric buses reportedly charge between N50 and N100 on routes where commercial fares range from N300 to N600. In Oyo, the introduction of CNG buses reduced the Lagos-Ibadan fare from about N8,000 to N3,200 during the initial deployment, while Adamawa recorded fare reductions of up to 50 per cent.
In Enugu, the Enugu-Nsukka fare dropped from N2,500 to N1,500 following the deployment of CNG buses, while government-supported buses in Plateau charge N200 compared with commercial fares of more than N500.
In Abuja, CNG-converted vehicles have reportedly reduced fares by 40 per cent, with the Area 1-Gwagwalada route dropping from N1,500 to N900, Nyanya from N700 to N420 and Wuse from N400 to N240.
The Suleja-Abuja fare in Niger State has also fallen to N550 from about N800, while Abia State has deployed 40 electric buses with fares subsidised by 50 per cent.
Tinubu said more than 120,000 vehicles had been converted to CNG, while over 400 certified conversion centres and more than 90 CNG refuelling stations were now available across the country.
He urged state governments to speed up vehicle conversion, fleet deployment and infrastructure development, stressing that savings from cheaper energy should be passed on to commuters through reduced transportation fares.
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