During the Christmas season, travelers heading to the eastern and southern regions of Nigeria often face soaring transport fares, whether by air or by road. But what causes these price hikes?
After investigating the matter, it became clear that the high transport costs are linked to the unique travel patterns during the festive period.
A major factor is that the flow of passengers during this season is often “one-way,” with fewer people traveling back from the East to other parts of the country until after the holidays. For instance, a bus traveling from Lagos to Owerri with over 50 passengers on December 23rd is likely to return almost empty on the 24th. This pattern is observed on most flights and buses headed to the East during Christmas.
Between December 20th and January 1st, transport services to the East are typically filled to capacity. However, for those who purchase return tickets, many will delay their return journey until around January 4th or 5th. This creates a challenge for transport companies, as buses and flights must still make the return journey, often without passengers, to pick up others heading to the East.
Transport companies are then forced to account for the cost of these empty return trips in their pricing. To avoid operating at a loss, they factor these additional costs into the tickets, resulting in higher fares for travelers going to eastern destinations.
The situation differs from other parts of Nigeria, where traffic tends to be more balanced. The large Christian population in the South-East and South-South regions, many of whom reside in other parts of the country, causes a surge in one-way traffic to the East during the holiday season.
This explanation sheds light on the reasons behind the price hikes during the festive period, offering a better understanding of why transport fares to the East increase during Christmas.
From the table of Editor-in-Chief, NigerianEye Newspaper
