Lagos State has stopped the introduction of new diesel-powered buses into its regulated public transport system as the state intensifies its transition to compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicles.
The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) said the policy took effect at the beginning of 2026, with operators bringing new buses into the regulated network now required to use either CNG or electric-powered vehicles.
LAMATA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abimbola Akinajo, disclosed this while speaking to journalists during the handover of 20 additional high-capacity CNG buses provided under the Presidential Initiative on CNG and EV.
Akinajo said the move was part of the authority’s long-term plan to reduce transport emissions and gradually move the regulated fleet towards cleaner sources of energy.
She clarified, however, that the policy does not constitute an immediate ban on all diesel buses currently operating on Lagos roads. Existing diesel-powered vehicles will be phased out gradually as the state replaces them with cleaner alternatives.
“We will only work with CNG or EV buses, and this has been the policy since the beginning of the year,” Akinajo said.
The latest addition brings further support to Lagos’ growing cleaner-energy transport fleet. Before the handover, LAMATA had about 150 CNG buses, alongside high- and medium-capacity electric buses.
Some of the newly delivered buses could be deployed along the Ikorodu-TBS corridor, where passenger demand remains high.
Lagos Bus Services Limited and private operators acquiring new buses are also expected to favour gas-powered models, while some existing Bus Rapid Transit buses have already started undergoing conversion to CNG.
The shift is also being driven by rising diesel costs, which have increased pressure on transport operators.
Akinajo said diesel prices had climbed from about ₦950 per litre at the beginning of the year to between ₦1,950 and ₦2,100, depending on the source. The increase, she explained, had significantly raised the cost of operating diesel-powered buses and could ordinarily have triggered higher fares.
However, she said the lower operating costs associated with CNG and electric buses had helped the regulated transport system absorb part of the increase without transferring the full burden to commuters.
“Regulated public transport fares have not increased, and these buses have helped us achieve that,” she said.
LAMATA is also expanding the infrastructure needed to support the transition, working with private-sector partners, including Ibile Oil & Gas, to strengthen CNG supply and refuelling capacity.
According to Akinajo, additional refuelling stations are being developed across Lagos as private investment in the cleaner-energy transport system grows.
The transition forms part of the Lagos State Transport Policy, which targets clean-energy power for 52 per cent of BRT buses by 2050.
For commuters, the policy means new buses entering the regulated transport network will increasingly be powered by CNG or electricity, while existing diesel vehicles remain in service until they are gradually replaced.