Lagos State has stepped up its transition towards cleaner public transportation, with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) stopping operators from introducing new diesel-powered buses into the state’s regulated public transport system.

The policy, which took effect from the beginning of 2026, requires operators adding new buses to the regulated network to use either compressed natural gas (CNG) or electric vehicles. Existing diesel buses, however, are not being removed from service immediately and are expected to be replaced gradually as the transition progresses.

LAMATA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abimbola Akinajo, disclosed the development while speaking with journalists during the handover of 20 additional high-capacity CNG buses supplied under the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles.

According to Akinajo, transportation is one of the major sources of emissions in Lagos, making the shift away from diesel an important part of the state's longer-term environmental strategy.

She said LAMATA had informed operators bringing new buses into the regulated system that diesel vehicles would no longer be accepted, with CNG and electric buses becoming the approved alternatives.

The authority's longer-term objective is for buses operating within the regulated system to progressively move towards cleaner energy, with electricity expected to play an increasingly important role in the future fleet.

Before the latest delivery, LAMATA had approximately 150 CNG buses in its fleet, alongside high- and medium-capacity electric buses. The additional 20 CNG buses are expected to increase capacity, with some potentially deployed on the busy Ikorodu-TBS corridor because of its strong passenger demand.

The transition is also being driven by the rising cost of operating diesel buses.

Akinajo said diesel, which was selling for about ₦950 per litre at the beginning of the year, had risen to between ₦1,950 and ₦2,100 per litre, depending on the source. The increase has significantly raised the cost of running diesel-powered buses and could place additional pressure on transport operators.

She said the lower operating costs associated with CNG and electric buses had helped the regulated transport system absorb some of the increase without immediately transferring the entire burden to commuters.

LAMATA has also been developing the infrastructure needed to support the transition. The authority works with private-sector partners, including Ibile Oil & Gas, on CNG supply, while additional refuelling facilities are being developed across Lagos to support the growing fleet.

Some existing BRT buses have already undergone or begun conversion to gas, while Lagos State's transport policy also anticipates cleaner-energy vehicles becoming more prominent in future purchases by Lagos Bus Services Limited and private operators.

The state's transport policy targets having 52 per cent of buses in the BRT system powered by clean energy by 2050. The policy also promotes the adoption of gas and electric propulsion and identifies cleaner transport as part of Lagos' wider effort to reduce emissions and build a more sustainable transport system.

For commuters, the immediate change is therefore not a blanket ban on diesel buses across Lagos. Rather, it is a restriction on the introduction of new diesel buses into the regulated public transport network, alongside a gradual replacement of vehicles already operating in the system.

The move places Lagos among the Nigerian states pushing more aggressively towards CNG and electric public transport as governments and operators look for ways to reduce emissions while dealing with the rising cost of conventional fuels.