Water transport fares in Nigeria surged by 10% within the last year, with a 0.67% increase recorded in November alone, reflecting the growing financial strain on commuters who rely on boats and ferries for daily movement.
The latest Transport Fare Watch report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that the average fare for waterway passenger transportation rose to ₦1,487.93 in November, up from ₦1,478.09 in October and significantly higher than ₦1,352.70 recorded in November 2023.
Checks by our correspondent revealed that the increase has hit commuters in Lagos the hardest, where thousands of people depend on ferries to navigate the city’s notorious road traffic gridlock.
The NBS report showed that water transport fares vary significantly across Nigeria, with Bayelsa recording the highest fares at ₦4,600, followed by Delta State at ₦4,280. In contrast, Borno State had the cheapest water transport fares at just ₦480, while Gombe followed closely at ₦630.
A zonal breakdown of the data also highlighted the South-South region as the most expensive for water travel, with an average fare of ₦3,643.36. The South-West followed at ₦1,470.73, while the North-East had the lowest average fare at ₦845.99.
In Lagos, where the state government has been making efforts to promote water transportation as an alternative to road congestion, fares on key routes such as CMS to Ikorodu, Apapa to Marina, and Mile 2 to Badagry have continued to increase due to a combination of inflation, rising fuel costs, and high operational expenses for boat operators.
Operators attribute the rising fares to higher fuel prices, increased maintenance costs, and the absence of government subsidies.
Many operators, especially those running privately-owned boats, struggle to keep up with operating expenses. They lamented that the cost of maintaining boats, servicing engines, and acquiring spare parts has also increased drastically, with many operators passing these costs onto passengers.
Despite the fare hikes, many commuters remain concerned about safety on Lagos waterways. Reports of overcrowded boats, lack of life jackets, and inadequate emergency response, continue to discourage some potential passengers.
Some commuters have called for government intervention to subsidize fares, regulate pricing, and enforce safety measures to make water transport both affordable and secure.
Reacting to the reports, our correspondent who spoke to some passengers at the Marina Jetty in Lagos, gathered that many commuters are struggling to keep up with the fare increases.
In a chat with our correspondent, Adebola Oguntade, a resident of Ikorodu who works on the island, he lamented how the rising fares have affected his daily expenses. “I used to pay ₦1500 for a one-way trip from Ikorodu to Marina, but now it’s N3000. That’s an extra ₦1500 daily for a round trip; it cost about N7500, that’s over ₦150, 000 monthly in transport costs alone. How do they expect us to survive?” he lamented.
Similarly, Mrs. Veronica Adebisi, who frequently travels between Tin Can and Badagry, noted that ferry operators have adjusted fares multiple times in recent months. “I used to pay ₦3,500 for this route, but now I pay almost ₦5000. The worst part is, the boats are overcrowded, and some don’t even have life jackets. We are paying more but getting less service,” she said.
Another frustrated commuter, Segun Aluko, a civil servant working in CMS, said he is reconsidering using the waterways altogether. “I live in Ikorodu, and the boat is the fastest way to get to work, but now I’m spending close to ₦2,400 daily on transport. If fares go up again, I might have to start enduring road traffic again because this is not sustainable,” he said.
A boat operator, Captain Babajide Akinwale, who runs a fleet between Apapa and Marina, defended the fare hikes, saying, “diesel and petrol prices have almost doubled in the last year. Maintaining boats, servicing engines, and even getting spare parts have all become very expensive. We can’t continue running at a loss, so we have to pass some of the cost to passengers.”
