Commuters in Nigeria’s most populous city were hit by even more traffic chaos than usual after local government officials enforced a ban on motorbike taxis used to weave through Lagos jams.

Social media was awash with videos, photos and complaints from people protesting the ruling, which left hundreds stranded at bus stops or facing long walks to school or work. The price of car ride-hailing services including Uber Technologies Inc and Bolt jumped, indicating adjustments for higher demand.

A spokesman for Uber in Lagos declined to comment.

"We appear, as usual, to have gone for the option that involved the least thought and planning from a public policy perspective,” Joe Abah, an Abuja-based public sector analyst, told his 324,000 Twitter followers.

The Lagos State Government announced the ban last week, blaming motorbike taxi drivers for an escalating number of fatal accidents and accusing them of acting as getaway drivers for criminals. The move was a blow to startups such as OPay, in which Softbank Group Corp is an investor, and a boost to Uber and Bolt.

Nigeria’s commercial capital has one of the highest car densities in the world, with about 200 cars per kilometre, and lacks rail services or adequate transport via waterways. Extra buses and ferries will be commissioned to ease the crisis, the state government said in a statement on Feb 3.

 - Bloomberg