Public Transport Affordability of Households in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper assessed the affordability level of public transportation in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria. Data were collected on household travel characteristics and behavior using stratified sampling and stated preference methods. The data collected were used to calculate the public transport affordability index of households in Metropolitan Lagos, while the ‘t’ test was carried out to test the level of variation that exist between Lagos transport affordability and international benchmark. The results show that public transport affordability index ranges from 2.2% to 18.7%, it varies among different income groups and differs also from one location to another within the Metropolis. A Student T- test was also used to show whether the public transport affordability level in Lagos is in conformity with global standards. It was revealed that the transport affordability level is higher than the global index, because high percentage of commuter incomes was spent on public transportation. The paper therefore recommends that Lagos State Government should improve work places accessibility to reduce commuting cost to work.