The Lagos State government has made an announcement regarding the discontinuation of the 50 percent reduction in public transport fares and a return to the previous rates throughout the state.
The reversion to the old rates for public transportation will be effective starting today, as stated in a release by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) issued yesterday.
LAMATA stated, “The 50 percent discount on transport fares within the regulated transport system in Lagos will come to an end on Sunday (tomorrow).”
Upon reaching out to Mr. Kolawole Ojelabi, Consultant for Corporate Communication at LAMATA, the change was verified, with him confirming that “the 50 percent rebate has been terminated.”
The statement conveyed to commuters that commencing from Monday, November 6, 2023, transportation fares will revert to the rates that were in place prior to August 2, 2023.
It’s worth recalling that in August, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had introduced a 50 percent reduction in the prices of public transportation services, including Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), Standard Routes, First and Last Mile, Rail, and Ferry, as a measure to mitigate the impact of the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu.
The abrupt removal of the subsidy had placed a financial burden on the average Nigerian households, prompting several states to implement relief packages.