Shuttlers, a Nigerian mobility startup, has introduced buses using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to its fleet in a bid to build a more climate-friendly fleet. In the first quarter of 2025, the startup added 20 new CNG-powered vehicles to its fleet, completing 1,484 trips with the buses in three months.
“This move wasn’t just a decision—it was about making a real impact for us, our customers, and the environment,” Damilola Olokesusi, CEO and Co-founder at Shuttlers, said in a LinkedIn post.
Amid limited infrastructure and cost comparisons to petrol, she added that the change had resulted in a 29% reduction in cost for riders using the service and a reduction in the CO2 released into the environment.
The widespread adoption of CNG as an alternative to petrol-powered vehicles and generators began after the fuel subsidy removal in 2023 and the 200% hike in petrol. CNG is famous for being cheaper than petrol at ₦230 per litre, and lasting longer than petrol.
Jumping on this CNG wave, the Nigerian government introduced a payment plan to facilitate the conversion of petrol-powered vehicles to CNG, a CNG-conversion app, and promised to distribute 2,000 CNG-powered tricycles to youths in the transportation sector across Nigeria.
Despite these, the use of CNG continues to raise safety concerns. There have been reported cases of explosions linked to converted CNG vehicles. However, Olokesusi adds in her post that the CNG canisters used in the fleet are fireproof and “equipped with automatic fire extinguishers that activate instantly in the rare event of a fire.” The startup also says its quality assessment team and pilots conduct regular inspections on the vehicles to ensure safety.
Shuttlers began in Lagos in 2016 to solve the city’s informal transportation problem. Since then, it has expanded into other cities, raised $5.6 million, and become the preferred choice of transportation for corporate workers and organisations in Lagos and beyond.
