Lagos Announces Types Of Buses No Longer Allowed on the Roads, Pushes For New Models

• Lagos now bars new diesel buses from its regulated transport network, requiring operators to adopt CNG or electric vehicles from 2026
• Twenty additional CNG buses will expand cleaner transport options, including service on potentially busy routes such as Ikorodu-TBS
• Rising diesel prices have pushed up operating costs, while CNG and electric buses help operators contain fares

Pascal Oparada is a journalist with Legit.ng, covering technology, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy for over a decade.

Lagos has stopped accepting new diesel-powered buses into its regulated public transport system, accelerating a shift towards compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicles as operators battle rising fuel costs.

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) said the policy took effect at the beginning of 2026. Operators introducing buses into the system must now adopt either CNG or electric models.

Existing diesel buses will be replaced gradually. The announcement does not amount to an immediate ban on every diesel-powered bus operating on Lagos roads.

LAMATA sets new rules for bus operators

LAMATA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abimbola Akinajo, disclosed the policy while addressing journalists at the handover of 20 additional high-capacity CNG buses under the Presidential Initiative on CNG and EV.

She identified transport emissions as a major concern, saying the authority had informed operators that new diesel buses would no longer be admitted into the regulated network.

“We will only work with CNG or EV buses, and this has been the policy since the beginning of the year.”

Akinajo said the long-term ambition was to transition the regulated fleet to cleaner energy, with electric buses eventually becoming the preferred option across the system.

Additional buses target busy routes

Before the latest handover, LAMATA had about 150 CNG buses, alongside high- and medium-capacity electric buses.

The additional 20 vehicles will strengthen the fleet, with some potentially assigned to the Ikorodu-TBS corridor, where passenger demand remains high.

Their deployment would expand the number of cleaner-energy buses available to serve commuters as Lagos progressively replaces diesel vehicles.

New buses acquired by Lagos Bus Services Limited and private operators are also expected to be gas-powered, while some existing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses have begun gas conversion.

Diesel price surge puts pressure on fares

Beyond environmental concerns, Akinajo said the transition was helping operators contain costs amid a sharp increase in diesel prices.

According to her, diesel rose from about ₦950 per litre at the beginning of the year to between ₦1,950 and ₦2,100, depending on the source.

That increase has substantially raised the cost of running diesel buses, creating pressure for fare adjustments.

However, she said lower operating costs from CNG and electric buses had helped the regulated system absorb some of the pressure.

“Regulated public transport fares have not increased, and these buses have helped us achieve that,” Akinajo said.

She explained that the savings were helping operators avoid passing the full impact of higher fuel costs onto passengers.

Refuelling infrastructure supports transition

LAMATA already operates a CNG supply ecosystem and collaborates with private-sector stakeholders, including Ibile Oil & Gas, to support its expanding fleet.

Akinajo said private investment was also increasing, with additional refuelling stations being developed across Lagos.

The transition aligns with the Lagos State Transport Policy, which targets clean-energy power for 52% of BRT buses by 2050.

For commuters, the immediate significance is the authority’s stated effort to expand bus availability and manage operating expenses while gradually changing the energy sources powering regulated public transport.