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The short answer
Yes. If your Pryme account has been offered a Loans on Spaces limit, you can pay transport operators that are Spaces merchants on credit, after reading and accepting an agreement that shows the amount, cost and repayment date. It works best for bridging a short gap to payday, not for funding every trip indefinitely.
What paying a fare on credit actually means
Most Nigerians pay for transport in small amounts, many times a week: a bus to work, a ride home late at night, a weekend trip to see family. When money runs short before payday, the usual fixes are borrowing from a friend, a loan app, or skipping the trip. Paying a fare on credit means a lender pays the transport operator for you now, and you repay the lender later, on terms you agreed in advance.
Loans on Spaces is one way to do this. Spaces is Pryme's network of merchants, and Transport is one of the supported sectors. The credit is lent by Solid Allianze Microfinance Bank Ltd, a CBN-licensed microfinance bank, and it can only be spent with merchants inside Spaces. You cannot withdraw it as cash or send it to another account. For a wider comparison with loan apps and buy now, pay later, see credit without a loan form.
How it works, step by step
- Open the Pryme app and check whether a Loans on Spaces limit has been offered to you. Limits are offered based on how your account is run, and the lender also checks credit bureau records.
- Find the transport operator you want to pay among the Spaces merchants in the app. If the operator is not in Spaces, the credit cannot be used there.
- Enter the fare or trip amount. The app shows the full agreement: the amount, the cost of borrowing, and the date you must repay.
- Read it, then accept. Nothing is drawn until you accept.
- Repay by the date shown. You can usually repay earlier if your money arrives sooner; the app shows what applies to your agreement.
When it makes sense, and when it does not
Credit for transport is a tool for timing, not extra income. Used for a few days before salary lands, it can keep you getting to work without borrowing from colleagues. Used every week to cover a fare gap that never closes, it adds a cost to a cost you already struggle to meet.
| Situation | Reasonable use? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Salary is due in four days and you need to get to work | Usually yes | Short gap, known repayment source |
| A one-off trip for a family event | Often yes | Planned, single amount, clear date to repay |
| Fares regularly run out by mid-month | Be careful | A budget gap, not a timing gap; credit makes it bigger |
| You would repay by borrowing elsewhere | No | This is how debt spirals start |
Worked example: bridging to payday
Example only. Amaka commutes by bus from Ikorodu to Yaba. Her daily return fare is ₦3,000, and she works five days a week. It is the 25th, her salary arrives on the 30th, and her balance is ₦2,500 after food. She needs four more working days of transport: ₦12,000.
- She checks the app and sees a Loans on Spaces offer, and that her bus operator is a Spaces merchant.
- She pays ₦12,000 of fares through Spaces. The agreement shows the cost and a repayment date after her payday. She reads it and accepts.
- On the 30th her salary lands and she repays the full amount, plus the cost shown, the same day.
- She then sets aside next month's ₦60,000 of transport (₦3,000 × 20 days) as soon as salary arrives, so she is less likely to need credit again.
The last step matters most. If transport is a fixed monthly cost, ring-fencing it on payday is cheaper than borrowing for it. A Flexible Savings Box in the app can hold that money separately; see Savings Boxes. For planning the monthly figure, read how to budget for transport.
Your rights when you borrow
In Nigeria, lenders and financial institutions must explain terms clearly before you commit. The CBN's Consumer Protection Regulations set disclosure and fair-treatment expectations for institutions it regulates, and the FCCPC's 2025 regulations for digital lending cover how online lenders must behave, including how they disclose costs and how they collect. If any lender, of any kind, threatens you or contacts people in your phone book, read loan app harassment: your rights.
Repayment history is reported to credit bureaus. Paying on time can help your record; missing a date can harm it and make future credit harder to get anywhere. See how credit bureaus work in Nigeria.
Where Pryme fits
Loans on Spaces is part of a Pryme Personal Account. You see any offer in the app, you see the full agreement before anything is drawn, and you choose whether to accept. Credit is spent only with Spaces merchants, which keeps it tied to the purpose you borrowed for. You can read more on Loans on Spaces, and if you do not yet have an account, you can open one from any country.
Questions people ask
Can I use a loan to pay for my bus fare in Nigeria?
Yes, if the bus operator is a Spaces merchant and you have accepted a Loans on Spaces agreement. The credit is paid to the operator, not to you as cash.
Is Loans on Spaces approved immediately?
A limit may be offered based on how your account is run and credit bureau checks. You always see the agreement first and must accept it before anything is drawn. Nothing is approved without that step.
Can I withdraw Loans on Spaces as cash for transport?
No. The credit can only be spent with merchants in Spaces. It cannot be withdrawn or sent to another bank account.
What happens if I repay my transport loan late?
The agreement in the app explains what applies. Late repayment can also be reported to credit bureaus and affect your ability to borrow in future.
Sources
- CBN Consumer Protection Regulations 2019 · accessed Oct 2026
- The Guardian: FCCPC issues digital lending regulations to tackle consumer abuses · accessed Oct 2026
- Mondaq: A glimpse into the Credit Reporting Act 2017 · accessed Oct 2026
- NBS: Transport Fare Watch reports (microdata catalogue) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.