Today, the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rassamni, held an important meeting to discuss the impact of the rise in global oil prices on the transportation sector in Lebanon. The meeting was attended by the Director General of Land and Maritime Transport, Dr. Ahmed Tamer, the President of the Land Transport Unions, Bassam Tlais, and the Head of the Land Transport Authority, Tony Assaf, in addition to representatives of various transport unions.
The discussion focused on how to deal with the continuous increases in fuel prices and their direct impact on the cost of transportation in light of the difficult economic conditions the world is going through.
The meeting concluded with an agreement on the necessity of amending transport tariffs in a way that reflects the increase in fuel prices. The amendment will be fair and balanced, taking into account the rights of drivers and the purchasing power of citizens. The Minister will issue an official decision soon setting the new tariff temporarily, until fuel prices stabilize.
Based on the directives of Minister Rassamni, the amendment will also include the Public Transport Service in the same proportion as that applied to regular transport, with the aim of unifying tariff policies between the different means of public transport, taking into account the purchasing power of citizens and supporting the sector’s sustainability and operating efficiency.
The attendees stressed “the need to provide justice to drivers, especially in light of the sharp rise in operational costs,” stressing the importance of “accelerating the disbursement of the amount of 12 million Lebanese pounds previously approved by the government, in a way that contributes to alleviating the financial burdens on them, and not bearing the cost of the repercussions of the crisis alone on citizens.”
The attendees also agreed to hold an evaluation meeting after a month to evaluate the implementation of the new tariff and make any necessary adjustments to ensure balance between all parties concerned.
The meeting concluded by emphasizing “continuing coordination and consultation between the Ministry and the unions, to keep pace with developments and take appropriate measures in a timely manner, in a way that serves the public interest and enhances the stability of the transportation sector.”
