On September 28, 2026, the Ministry of Finance witnessed a high-level meeting that resulted in an agreement to initiate procedures for opening a financial appropriation in the general budget for the year 2026, to allocate monthly support to eligible public drivers worth 12 million Lebanese pounds, in a step aimed at addressing the transportation crisis and reducing the repercussions of its high costs on drivers and citizens alike.
The meeting was attended by the Director General of Finance, George Maarawi, the Director General of Land and Maritime Transport, Brigadier General Mazen Basbous, the Head of the Vehicle and Vehicle Registration Authority, Brigadier General Nazih Qebrosli, the Head of the Land Transport Sector Federations and Syndicates, Bassam Tlais, the Director of Expenditures, Rania Diab, and the Government Commissioner in the Ministry of Finance, Ziad Al-Sheikh.
According to what was agreed upon, eligible public drivers will be given this amount monthly for the period extending from October 1 to December 31, 2026 as a first stage, provided that drivers, in return, adhere to the official tariff issued by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport on April 15, 2026. Violating this tariff is a direct reason for depriving the violating driver of benefiting from these entitlements.
In a second stage, it was agreed to establish an executive mechanism to disburse these compensations according to a joint decision issued by the Ministries of Finance, Public Works, and Transport. The agreement also included the preparation of a draft law aimed at modernizing land transport vehicles for passengers of various categories, through a package of tax and customs exemptions.
