FG gives Kano five electric buses, targets 40% cut in transport fares
- The Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles handed five 20-seater electric buses to two Kano transport firms on Saturday.
- Officials say fares on the buses should run at least 40% below what conventional transport charges.
- Operators welcomed the buses but asked Kano State for dedicated corridors, bus stops and security.
Commuters in Kano could soon pay less for transport after the Federal Government handed five electric buses to two transport operators in the state, with fares projected to be at least 40 per cent lower than what conventional buses charge.
The buses, each with 20 seats, went to Camel Mobility and Kano Metropolitan Transport Company. They were handed over on Saturday under the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV), according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Ahmed Katuka, Manager of Assets at Pi-CNG & EV, said the buses would add to the 14-seater and high-capacity buses already deployed to Kano under the programme.
He said the intervention was meant to cut what Nigerians spend on daily travel while also lowering carbon emissions and improving passenger safety and comfort.
"The deployment is expected to significantly reduce the cost of transportation for commuters," Katuka said.
What the operators say
Ahmed Garba-Ahmed, Chief Operating Officer of Camel Mobility, said the buses would be put to work to ease movement for Kano residents. He noted that similar electric buses already run in Abuja, Lagos and other states.
He asked the Kano State Government to provide dedicated transport corridors, designated bus stops, a friendly operating environment and adequate security for the vehicles to run well.
Ahmad Rufai-Yusuf, who manages the Kano division of Kano Metropolitan Transport Company, said electric buses would cut fuel-related running costs for operators, which should in turn bring fares down for passengers.
The operators' requests point to a practical question: the 40 per cent fare cut depends not just on the buses but on roads, stops and security that let them run reliably.
Part of a wider push
The Kano handover is part of a federal drive to move commercial transport away from petrol and diesel. In Lagos, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has stopped new diesel buses from entering its regulated public transport system since the start of 2026, requiring new buses to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) or electricity.
In October, Pi-CNG & EV Chairman Ismael Ahmed proposed making the switch to CNG mandatory for commercial vehicles. He said Nigeria has about 12 million vehicles, with commercial vehicles making up an estimated 55 to 60 per cent.
The government is targeting one million converted commercial petrol vehicles by 2027 and a network of 1,000 CNG refuelling stations. About 120,000 vehicles had been converted as of the latest figures on the initiative's website, and the programme had drawn more than $2.5 billion in investment.
What happens next
The buses are expected to begin operations in Kano, though the operators say the size of the fare cut will depend on state support for corridors, stops and security. Nationwide, the conversion target and refuelling stations remain the benchmarks to watch.