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Alimosho to Victoria Island

📏 30km🚦 Severe traffic🚌 BRT ✓3 modes

Via: Akowonjo Road → Egbeda → Iyana Ipaja → Oshodi → Oworonshoki → Third Mainland Bridge → VI

How to make this trip

Danfo
Cheapest
₦800–1,500
per trip · 75–210 min
Monthly
₦50,600
2 trips × 22 working days
Private car
₦4,000–6,500
per trip · 45–110 min
Monthly
₦231,000
2 trips × 22 working days
Bolt
Priciest
₦15,000–28,000
per trip · 45–100 min
Monthly
₦946,000
2 trips × 22 working days

Monthly commute cost

Danfo
₦50,600
Private car
₦231,000
Bolt
₦946,000

💰 True cost of living here vs. living at the destination

Living in Alimosho: rent ≈₦800,000/yr + commute ≈₦607,200/yr = ₦1,407,200/yr
Living in Victoria Island: rent ≈₦15,000,000/yr + zero commute = ₦15,000,000/yr
Moving to Victoria Island costs ₦14,200,000 more rent but saves ₦607,200 transport + ~1258 hours/year in commute time.

🚦 Traffic profile

Peak hours: 5:30–9:30 AM, 4:30–9:00 PM
00:0006:0012:0018:0023:00

💡 Travel tips

✓ Best time to travel
Before 5:30 AM. Yes, 5:30 AM.
✗ Avoid
Any weekday between 6 AM and 9 AM. The full corridor (Iyana Ipaja → Oshodi → TMB) chokes simultaneously.
  1. First bus: danfo from Akowonjo to Oshodi (₦300-₦500, 30-60 min), then BRT Oshodi to CMS (₦500-₦700, 40-60 min)
  2. Total one-way: ₦800-₦1,200, 90-180 minutes with transfers
  3. Bolt from Alimosho to VI costs ₦15,000-₦28,000 — not viable as daily transport
  4. Some Alimosho workers sleep in VI during the week and go home on weekends to avoid the daily commute

🚌 BRT & public transport

Corridor: Oshodi–CMS feeder (transfer required from Alimosho)

💳 Cowry Card. Tap your Cowry Card on entry. Top up at any BRT terminal for ₦100–₦5,000. Lost cards cost ₦1,500 to replace.
Lagos.Cool Editorial
28 July 2026 · 2 min read

Lagos.Cool Editorial

Alimosho to VI is the journey that captures everything about Lagos inequality. The cheapest rents (₦400K-₦1.2M) paired with the most expensive and exhausting commute. No BRT serves Alimosho directly — the nearest BRT terminal is Oshodi, requiring a ₦300-₦500 danfo ride first. The total journey can take 3+ hours each way during peak, consuming 6 hours daily. At ₦800-₦1,500 danfo per trip (with transfers), the monthly transport cost of ₦50,000-₦70,000 erases much of the rent savings. For the 2 million Alimosho residents who work on the Island, this is not a choice — it's survival.

The only real defence on this route is the pre-dawn start. Commuters who clear Alimosho before 6 AM reach the Oshodi interchange and the bridge before the wall forms; anyone leaving at 7 joins the full weight of the western mainland heading the same way. A Cowry card and the BRT legs from Oshodi help shave both cost and stress once you reach the interchange, but nothing rescues a late departure. For the millions who make this journey, planning the day around a very early start is not a preference — it is the difference between two hours and four.

Other routes from Alimosho

Alimosho → Ikeja GRA
18km · DANFO
₦400/trip

Frequently Asked Questions

Times vary by mode: BRT around n/a min, Bolt 45–100 min, danfo 75–210 min in peak traffic.