Yemen fuel price hikes deepen hardship as transport costs rise

Rising fuel costs in Yemen force drivers to raise fares, as passengers struggle with worsening financial burdens.

Save

Share

Mukalla, Yemen – When Abdullah Salem raised his fare by 100 Yemeni riyals ($0.06) on a routine afternoon trip from the eastern outskirts of Yemen’s port city of Mukalla to the city centre, passengers pushed back immediately. “They shouted at me,” the 55-year-old driver told Al Jazeera as he prepared for another trip. “I told them it’s not my decision; it’s the government who have hiked fuel prices.”

The Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC), controlled by the internationally recognised government, has announced a new round of fuel price hikes in areas under its administration, a move that analysts say could accelerate inflation and deepen economic hardship across the country.