Lebanese taxi drivers bicker over price hike as commuters struggle with an additional burden

Lebanese taxi drivers bicker over price hike as commuters struggle with an additional burden

On March 3, Lebanon's caretaker Public Works minister Michel Najjar announced a 30 per cent hike in the price of public transport to financially support taxi and bus drivers. Rising fuel prices combined with weeks of a stringent lockdown caused their revenues to plummet.

The cost of shared private taxis, widely used in the absence of an efficient public transport system, rose temporarily from 3,000 to 4,000 Lebanese pounds until the end of confinement measures scheduled for March 22. This increase follows a 50 per cent hike last summer, the first in over a decade.

The successive price increases represent a significant burden for