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Cover image for Day 3 — Fuel Cost & Profit Calculator (Nigeria): Operators in Action
Kingsley Ifeanyichukwu Onyema
Kingsley Ifeanyichukwu Onyema

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Day 3 — Fuel Cost & Profit Calculator (Nigeria): Operators in Action

#python #beginners #programming

Day 3 – Operators

Fuel Cost & Profit Calculator for Nigerian Transporters

🌍 Problem Background (Nigerian Context)

Fuel price fluctuations directly affect:

  • Okada riders
  • Keke (tricycle) operators
  • Taxi & ride-hailing drivers
  • Small logistics/delivery businesses

Most operators don’t calculate:

  • Daily fuel cost
  • Cost per trip
  • Real profit after fuel

They guess — and many run at a loss without knowing.

👥 Who This Project Helps

  • Okada & Keke riders
  • Bolt/Uber drivers
  • Dispatch riders
  • Small transport SMEs
  • Students learning real-world Python

❗ Why This Problem Matters in Africa

  • Fuel is a major cost driver in African transport
  • Rising fuel prices affect food, logistics, and inflation
  • Financial literacy at micro-business level is very low
  • Simple tools can immediately improve income decisions

🧠 Python Concepts (Day 3 Focus)

Core Operators

  • Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, %, //, **
  • Assignment: =, +=, -=
  • Comparison: >, <, >=, <=, ==
  • Logical: and, or

Other Basics

  • input(), print()
  • Type conversion: int(), float()

⚙️ Core Features

  • Collect daily transport data
  • Calculate:
    • Total fuel cost
    • Cost per trip
    • Total revenue
    • Net profit or loss
  • Warn driver if operating at a loss

🪜 Step-by-Step Implementation

Step 1: Collect Inputs 

naira = "\u20A6"  # ₦

fuel_price = float(input(f"Fuel price per litre ({naira}): "))
litres = float(input("Litres bought: "))
trips = int(input("Numbers of trips: "))
fare_per_trip = float(input(f"Average fare per trip ({naira}): "))
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Step 2: Perform Calculations (Operators in Action) 

total_fuel_cost = fuel_price * litres
total_revenue = trips * fare_per_trip
profit = total_revenue - total_fuel_cost
cost_per_trip = total_fuel_cost / trips
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Step 3: Display Results Clearly (with Smart ₦ Formatting) 

print("\n--- DAILY TRANSPORT SUMMARY ---\n")
print(f"Total Fuel Cost: {naira}{fmt_amount(total_fuel_cost)}")
print(f"Total Revenue: {naira}{fmt_amount(total_revenue)}")
print(f"Cost Per Trip: {naira}{fmt_amount(cost_per_trip)}")
print(f"Profit/Loss: {naira}{fmt_amount(profit)}")
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Step 4: Add Logical Decision (Very Important) 

if profit > 0:
    print("✅ You made a profit today.")
elif profit == 0:
    print("⚠️ You broke even today.")
else:
    print("❌ You ran at a loss today. Review your fares or fuel usage.")
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🔢 Sample Input & Output

Input

Fuel price per litre: 650
Litres bought: 5
Number of trips: 20
Average fare per trip: 400
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Output

--- DAILY TRANSPORT SUMMARY ---

Total Fuel Cost: ₦3250
Total Revenue: ₦8000
Cost Per Trip: ₦162.5
Profit/Loss: ₦4750
✅ You made a profit today.
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🛠️ Debugging Tips

  • ValueError on input: Ensure you enter numbers (e.g., 650, 5, 20, 400).
  • Trailing .0 amounts: Use fmt_amount() above to hide unnecessary decimals.
  • Divide by zero: trips must be at least 1 to compute cost_per_trip.
  • Negative values: Guard against negatives if needed (e.g., fuel price or litres shouldn’t be negative).
  • Currency accuracy: For strict currency math, consider decimal.Decimal.

▶️ How to Run (Windows)

From the project folder:

python Day3_Fuel_Cost_&_Profit_Calculator\fuel_cost_calculator.py
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Or if you are already in the Day 3 folder:

python fuel_cost_calculator.py
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🔗 Project Link

Full source and updates: https://github.com/kinspire-cyber/30DaysOfPythonProjects/tree/main/Day3_Fuel_Cost_%26_Profit_Calculator

If you find this helpful, ⭐ the repo and follow the 30-day series!

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