Commuters across Sierra Leone are set to benefit from lower transportation costs following the Government’s announcement of a 12.5 percent reduction in public transport fares, after the pump price of fuel was reduced to NLe 35.00 per litre.
The Ministry of Transport and Aviation announced that the revised fares took effect on Tuesday, 30 June 2026, following consultations with the Sierra Leone Motor Drivers Union and other key stakeholders in the transport sector.
According to the Ministry, the fare adjustment is intended to ensure that the benefits of the reduced fuel price are passed on to commuters nationwide.
Freetown Municipal Routes
Within the Freetown Municipality, fares have been reduced across several major routes. The fare from Lumley to Regent Road and Aberdeen to Regent Road has drStreet fare has been reduced from NLe 16.80 to NLe 14.70, while Waterloo–Tokeh now costs NLe 30.70, down from NLe 35.10.
Passengers travelling between Wilberforce and Jui will now pay NLe 13.50, reduced from NLe 15.40, while the Lumley–Baw Baw route has been reduced from NLe 12.60 to NLe 11.00.
The Mess–Eastern Police route now costs NLe 7.40, down from NLe 8.40, while fares on the Grafton-Bombay Street, Gloucester-Model, and Regent–Bus Station routes have each been reduced from NLe 14.00 to NLe 12.30.
Similarly, the Jui–Lumley route has been reduced from NLe 22.50 to NLe 19.70, while passengers travelling between Calaba Town and Goderich Street will now pay NLe 8.60, down from NLe 9.80.
Motorcycle taxis (Okadas) and tricycles (Kekehs) operating on “pole-to-pole” routes will now charge NLe 6.10, instead of NLe 7.00.
The fare reduction also applies to provincial and long-distance routes.
Travelling from Freetown to Kailahun now costs NLe 307.10, reduced from NLe 351.00, while the Freetown–Kono fare has dropped from NLe 266.80 to NLe 233.50.
Passengers travelling between Freetown and Kabala will now pay NLe 196.50, down from NLe 224.60, while the Freetown–Kenema fare has been reduced from NLe 210.60 to NLe 184.30.
The fares for both Freetown–Bo and Freetown–Moyamba have been reduced from NLe 182.50 to NLe 159.70.
Similarly, routes linking Freetown with Makeni, Port Loko, and Kambia now cost NLe 147.40, down from NLe 168.50. The Freetown–Matru/Bonthe route has been reduced from NLe 196.60 to NLe 172.00, while the Freetown–Lunsar fare has fallen from NLe 126.40 to NLe 110.60.
District-level routes have also been adjusted. In the Eastern Province, the Kenema–Kailahun fare has been reduced from NLe 168.50 to NLe 147.40, while Kenema–Jendema now costs NLe 227.20, down from NLe 259.70. The Kenema–Pamalap fare has also been reduced from NLe 365.00 to NLe 319.40.
In the Southern Province, the Bo–Makeni route now costs NLe 258.00, down from NLe 294.80, while the Bo–Freetown fare has been reduced from NLe 189.50 to NLe 165.80.
In the Northern Province, passengers travelling between Makeni and Kabala will now pay NLe 159.70, reduced from NLe 182.50, while the Makeni–Kono fare has fallen from NLe 168.50 to NLe 147.40.
Ferry Services
The fare reduction also extends to ferry services operating between Freetown and Lungi.
First Class passenger tickets have been reduced from NLe 67.70 to NLe 59.20, while Second Class tickets now cost NLe 32.10, down from NLe 36.70.
The ferry charge for cars has been reduced from NLe 245.20 to NLe 214.60, while motorcycles now pay NLe 60.60, down from NLe 69.30. Tricycles (Kekehs) will now pay NLe 175.20, instead of NLe 200.20.
Students travelling in school uniform will continue to enjoy free ferry transportation, while fares for members of the security forces have been reduced from NLe 13.50 to NLe 11.80.
The revised fare schedule was announced in a statement signed by Hon. Rex Bhonapha, Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation, on 30 June 2026