Effect of Fare Charges on The Operations of Inland Waterways Transport in Lagos State

Abstract

The study looks at how fare prices affect Lagos State's ferry operations, with a particular emphasis on commuter comfort and the distance traveled. Water transportation offers benefits like cheaper costs, increased capacity, and safety, but its potential has not been completely realized. This is because canal ports have defects that prevent the flexibility and convenience required for the flow of goods and services. The study focuses on the Lagos State Waterways Operations. A small number of carefully chosen canal terminals that link different regions of Lagos State make up the study's population. Purposive sampling was done at the Elegbata/Ebute Ero Terminal, Ebute Ojo Terminal, Ikorodu Terminal, and Badore Terminal. The snowballing technique was used to randomly select 818 passengers. Investigation revealed that daily fee charges have an effect on Lagos State's water transportation operations, and that commuters' comfort level and distance traveled were statistically significant for each of the seven independent components. This analysis showed how daily ticket costs affect the waterways transportation operations in Lagos State. The analysis shows how the low fees actually promote more traffic on Lagos State's waterways, raising the cost of upkeep and lengthening the time needed for servicing. It was recommended that efforts be made to reduce fare prices and provide suitable infrastructure at the ports in order to have efficient inland waterways operations that result in a complete reduction in operational expenses.