Sudan transport union hikes fares as fuel queues idle drivers and slash daily earnings

Sudan's Transport Chambers Union increased intercity bus fares by 40 percent and minibus fares by 30 percent this month. The adjustment follows a sharp rise in fuel costs and persistent shortages that have forced drivers to spend hours waiting at pumps.

In Port Sudan, minibus driver Azhari Mohamed works seven round trips a day, operating from 6 am to 9 pm. His vehicle consumes approximately 11 liters of petrol daily, costing around 105,000 Sudanese pounds, or $11.30 at the parallel market rate. Due to scarcity, Mohamed now works two days and spends a third waiting in line. A single wait can exceed five hours, and petrol often runs out before he reaches the pump, sending him to the back of another queue.

Fuel prices have climbed in line with scarcity. A gallon of petrol costs 40,000 pounds, or $4.30, in Gazira State south of Khartoum. In Port Sudan, the price is 35,000 pounds, or $3.80. After covering operating costs, Mohamed retains about 50,000 pounds, or $5.40, a day to support his wife and a daughter in university. He described the core issue to Al Jazeera, stating, "We just need fuel to be available so we can work."

The fare hikes have forced passengers to cut back on work. Aziza Ibrahim, a 38-year-old cleaner in Port Sudan, reduced her work schedule to three days a week to manage travel expenses. Before the war, her trip to the main city-centre station cost 700 pounds, or $0.08. Fares now range from 2,000 to 2,500 pounds on various routes. She requires 11,000 pounds, or $1.18, for a daily round trip. Transport now consumes nearly half of her 400,000-pound monthly salary, or $43. She also manages costly diabetes treatment and often borrows money to get to work, repaying the loan once paid.

The United Nations Development Programme reports that the war has pushed average incomes in Sudan back to levels last seen in the 1990s. Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces began on April 15, 2023. The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum estimated war-related losses at $20 billion last year. The World Bank noted that attacks on the Balila oil field disrupted supplies to the Khartoum refinery, which previously met about 60 percent of national demand for petrol and liquefied petroleum gas.

With domestic output reduced, Sudan relies on imports during a global fuel crisis. Economic analyst Sidi Ohaj said government rules for importers have worsened the situation. Importers must deposit 200kg of gold in the Central Bank and own fuel storage facilities. Some failed to comply and exited the market. Ohaj stated, "This reduced supply relative to demand," and added that the government should urgently ease import procedures. He also cited drone attacks on infrastructure and the war between the United States and Iran as factors disrupting global energy markets.

Businesses face similar pressures. Ahmed al-Haj, a trader in Omdurman market who packages skincare products, said higher diesel and petrol prices raised the cost of moving a tonne of goods by 30 to 50 percent. He passes these costs on to product prices. When power cuts force him to use a fuel-powered generator, his daily costs increase further.

Local deliveries in Omdurman that cost 5,000 pounds, or $0.70, now run 10,000 to 12,000 pounds, or $1.07 to $1.29. Reaching customers in other states has become impossible. Al-Haj reported that transport and distribution workers are making fewer trips, causing goods to pile up at traders' premises.