Despite serious security concerns and fears of kidnapping along major highways, Nigerians intending to travel for the Yuletide, particularly to the South-East, are scrambling for road transport tickets, which have seen a sharp increase in prices, according to findings by Sunday PUNCH.
Recent checks in the past few days revealed a surge in demand for seats at major transport companies, even as fares skyrocketed well above last year’s levels.
This increase occurs against a backdrop of heightened insecurity on inter-state roads coupled with economic pressures.
During the last festive season, fares for 15-seater buses averaged about N32,000 before the celebrations, climbing to approximately N41,500 at the peak period in December 2024.
However, this year, transport costs have escalated even further.
A review of booking platforms for various transport companies over the past week revealed what could be termed an astronomical hike in fares.
Journeys from Lagos to Enugu, Onitsha, Asaba, and other areas in the South-East and South-South now range between N58,000 and N73,000 for 15-seater buses, depending on distance.
Despite these steep costs, travellers were observed purchasing tickets several days ahead of Christmas.
As of Saturday, checks on the GUO Transport website indicated that only one ticket remained for the second 15-seater bus set to depart Lagos for Onitsha on Tuesday, with all seats on the first bus already sold out.
The fare for this route was listed at N70,000 per passenger.
Similarly, a Sienna bus on the same Lagos–Onitsha route had just two seats remaining, despite the ticket price being N85,500.
The situation was comparable for buses heading to Owerri on the same day, where all seats on the first bus had been filled, leaving just one seat on the second bus.
Tickets for the Sienna bus on that route, priced at N95,000 per passenger, had sold out completely.
For travellers heading to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, only six seats were left on each 15-seater bus scheduled for Monday, with tickets priced at N73,000 each.
A similar trend was seen for buses bound for Benin, Edo State, with tickets set at N61,000.
On the Lagos–Asaba route from Iyana Ipaja, only one seat was available on the second bus scheduled to leave on Sunday, with a fare of N70,000.
Likewise, only five seats remained on the first bus headed to Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, on Monday, at a cost of N73,000 each.
As of Friday, December 12, checks revealed only five seats were available on the first 15-seater bus heading to Aba on Saturday, also priced at N73,000 per ticket.
On the same day, no seats were available on a N64,000-per-ticket 15-seater bus scheduled to depart Ajah, Lagos, for Nnewi six days later.
A similar pattern was noted on the website of Good Is Good Motors.
As of last Friday, over 80 percent of tickets for an Owerri-bound bus scheduled to depart the next day had already been sold at N50,000 per passenger.
Additionally, only two seats were available on buses heading to Asaba from Iyana Ipaja, priced at N37,250 per ticket.
These findings suggest that, despite rising fares and ongoing security apprehensions, many Nigerians are determined to travel home for the festive season.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Okechukwu Eze, an Igbo trader selling motor spare parts in the Mushin area of Lagos, emphasized that Yuletide travel holds significant importance for many Nigerians of South-East descent.
“We have to travel before Christmas, no matter the cost. This is because for many of us, who have worked hard since January, the Christmas period is when we see our friends and relatives in the village. It is the period we hold our annual traditional meetings. Some people even have funerals and other festivities to attend in their villages during the Christmas period. So, nothing can stop us,” he stated.
Another Igbo trader in Lagos, who identified himself simply as Okafor, echoed that the significance of Yuletide travel for South-Easterners outweighs any financial considerations.
He appealed to transport companies to enhance security measures on their buses to justify the high ticket prices.
“Travelling home during December is an important ritual for most people from our side. As we speak, I have also booked tickets for my family members and me. We are leaving on Tuesday. We just have to appeal to the transport companies to boost the security features of these buses,” Okafor remarked.
Efforts to obtain comments from some transportation companies, particularly GUO, were unsuccessful, as their mobile lines went unanswered.
