Erbil bus drivers protest against fare reduction imposed by authorities

ERBIL— Bus drivers in Erbil protested on Tuesday in front of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Finance against the recent decision to reduce public transport fares, arguing that the change would lead to financial losses for them.

On Monday, Erbil’s transport authorities announced that fares would be cut to 500 Iraqi dinars ($0.30), down from the previous range of 750 ($0.50) to 1,000 dinars ($0.60) per passenger. The routes in the city are run by bus drivers, usually in self-owned vehicles. The fares are set by the authorities, while the expenses, such as fuel and maintenance, fall on the drivers themselves.

“The reduced fare does not benefit us. Today, we transported passengers at the previous price, but some of our permits were revoked. We demand the return of our permits and a fare of 1,000 dinars ($0.60),” Mahdi Maghdeed, one of the protesting drivers, told 964media. Maghdeed also suggested that the government should first reduce the prices of gasoline and gas to offset the financial burden caused by the fare cuts.

The fare reduction decision came after a meeting between the transport authorities and representatives of the bus line drivers. Abdulkhaleq Ali, the director of transport and communication in Erbil, told 964media, “We met with the Erbil transport syndicate and all bus line drivers’ representatives to discuss reducing the fares.” Following this, the reduction was implemented.

Erbil operates 31 bus routes, serviced by over 1,070 buses. These routes are critical for daily commuting, but drivers say that with the new fares, it will be challenging to cover operational costs, which they bear themselves.

This protest follows a similar fare reduction in Sulaymaniyah earlier this year, where some drivers had already started charging 500 dinars. However, bus drivers in Erbil insist that, unlike in Sulaymaniyah, such a fare cut would be detrimental unless accompanied by government action to lower the costs of fuel and other expenses.