Sudan Transport Union Hikes Fares as Fuel Scarcity Bites

Sudan’s Transport Chambers Union implemented new fare increases this month, raising intercity bus tickets by 40 percent and minibus fares by 30 percent. The move comes as fuel shortages tighten across the country, forcing operators to adjust prices to cover rising operating costs.

The changes directly affect daily commuters and drivers alike. In Port Sudan, Azhari Mohamed, a 60-year-old minibus driver, makes seven round trips daily between the Shagar neighbourhood and the city centre. His vehicle consumes three gallons of petrol per day, costing approximately 105,000 Sudanese pounds at the parallel-market rate.

Mohamed now works two days and spends a third waiting in fuel lines, which can stretch for more than five hours. He earns about 50,000 pounds after paying for fuel, an amount he uses to support his wife and a daughter in university. He told Al Jazeera that the primary goal is simply to have fuel available so he can continue working.

For passengers, the fare hikes compound existing financial pressures. Aziza Ibrahim, a 38-year-old cleaner in Port Sudan, supports four children. She has reduced her work to three days a week because transport costs have risen sharply. Her daily round trip to the city centre now costs 11,000 pounds, nearly half of her 400,000-pound monthly salary.

Ibrahim also manages the cost of diabetes treatment and sometimes borrows money to cover travel expenses until her next payday. Before the war, her commute cost 700 pounds. Now, fares on various routes range between 2,000 and 2,500 pounds.

The fuel crisis stems from both domestic conflict and global market conditions. The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023, has disrupted energy infrastructure. Last year, the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum estimated war-related losses at $20 billion. Attacks on the Balila oil field reduced supply to the Khartoum refinery, which previously met about 60 percent of national demand for petrol and liquefied petroleum gas.

With domestic output down, Sudan relies on imports at a time when global fuel prices are high. Economic analyst Sidi Ohaj noted that government import rules have worsened the shortage. Importers must deposit 200 kilograms of gold at the Central Bank and own storage facilities, requirements that forced some firms to exit the market. Ohaj advised the government to ease import procedures urgently.

Businesses are also absorbing higher costs. Ahmed al-Haj, a trader in Omdurman, said the cost of moving a tonne of goods has risen by 30 to 50 percent due to higher diesel and petrol prices. These costs are passed on to consumers. Local deliveries in Omdurman that previously cost 5,000 pounds now range from 10,000 to 12,000 pounds, and cross-state deliveries have become difficult to arrange.

As transport workers make fewer trips, goods are accumulating at trading premises. The United Nations Development Programme reports that average incomes in Sudan have fallen to levels last seen in the 1990s, while the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran continues to disrupt global energy markets.