Sudanese Transport Union Raises Fares 40% Amid Fuel Shortages

Port Sudan residents face higher daily travel costs after the Sudan Transport Chambers Union raised intercity bus fares by 40% and minibus fares by 30% this month. The price increase follows persistent fuel scarcity that has forced drivers to spend more time waiting for petrol than on the road.

Azhari Mohamed, a 60-year-old minibus driver, operates between the Shagar neighbourhood and the city centre. He completes seven round trips daily, working from 6am to 9pm. His vehicle consumes three gallons, or 11 litres, of petrol each day. At the parallel market rate, this costs 105,000 Sudanese pounds, roughly $11.30. Because fuel is difficult to obtain, he works two days and spends a third day waiting in line. A single wait can exceed five hours, and he sometimes reaches the pump only to find the petrol has run out.

Petrol prices vary by location. A gallon costs 40,000 pounds in Gazira State and 35,000 pounds in Port Sudan. After paying operating costs, Mohamed earns about 50,000 pounds, or $5.40, per day. He uses this income to support his wife and a daughter attending university. He stated that drivers need fuel to be available so they can continue working.

Passengers also feel the financial strain. Aziza Ibrahim, a 38-year-old cleaner in Port Sudan, supports four children. She reduced her work schedule to three days a week because transport costs consumed nearly half of her monthly salary of 400,000 pounds. Before the war, her trip to the central station cost 700 pounds. Fares now range from 2,000 to 2,500 pounds on various routes. Her daily round trip requires 11,000 pounds, or $1.18. She sometimes borrows money to get to work and repays the loan when she is paid.

The United Nations Development Programme reports that average incomes in Sudan have fallen to levels last seen in the 1990s due to the war. 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 60% of national petrol and liquefied petroleum gas demand.

Sudan now depends on imports while a global fuel crisis raises prices. Economic analyst Sidi Ohaj said government import rules have worsened the shortage. Importers must deposit 200kg of gold in the Central Bank and own fuel storage facilities. Some businesses left the market because they could not meet these requirements. Ohaj said this reduced supply relative to demand and urged the government to ease import procedures. He also cited drone attacks on infrastructure and the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran as factors disrupting global energy markets.

Businesses are raising prices to cover higher transport costs. Ahmed al-Haj, a trader in Omdurman market, said the cost of moving a tonne of goods has risen by 30% to 50%. He passes these increases to customers. Local deliveries in Omdurman that cost 5,000 pounds now run between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds. Al-Haj noted that transport workers are making fewer trips, causing goods to pile up at trading premises.