Karachi counts the cost of Rs55 fuel hike as fares rise, incomes fall short

Online and independent transport service drivers in Karachi have increased fares by 5% to 10% following a Rs55 per litre increase in petroleum product prices, while citizens commuting on their own motorcycles say their daily fuel expenses have climbed by 15% to 20%. Salaries, they say, have not kept pace.

Rehan Naeem, an online service motorcycle driver who lives in Mahmoodabad with his wife and two children, said he turned to ride-hailing platforms after earning a Rs22,000 salary at a factory proved insufficient. Following the Rs55 price hike, he said transport service fares had increased by 5% to 10% – Rs50 for short distances, Rs80 for medium distances, and between Rs100 and Rs120 for longer trips. He added that the fare increases had pushed many passengers toward public transport.

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Umair Khan, who works as a shop salesman in the morning and provides independent motorcycle transport services part-time from Liaquatabad No 10, said his Rs25,000 salary was not enough to get by. Fares on his route are set through negotiation – Rs150 for short distances and up to Rs400 for longer ones.

Due to the rise in petroleum product prices, he said passenger numbers had fallen by 10% to 20% as a result, with most of his business now coming in the evening hours. He also noted that the government's policy of three weekly holidays and 50 per cent work-from-home would further affect the online transport sector.

Talha Farooqi, a car driver on an online transport platform, said business had improved temporarily due to the Eid season. After the petrol price hike, fares rose by 10% – up by at least Rs100 for minimum distances and more than Rs250 for longer ones. His daily income, previously around Rs1,500, has since dropped to between Rs1,000 and Rs1,200, and continues to fluctuate due to rising fuel expenses and fewer passengers.

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On the commuter side, Waqar Abbasi, a private sector employee who travels from Karimabad to Tower for work, said his two-way online transport fare had risen from Rs600 to between Rs800 and Rs900. Unable to sustain the cost, he has switched to public transport.

Nimra Khan, a government employee who lives in Sharifabad and commutes by motorcycle, said she uses two litres of fuel daily. Her daily fuel expense has increased by Rs100, bringing it to Rs650.

Similarly, Saleem Qureshi, a garment salesman at Jame Cloth, said his monthly petrol expenses had gone up by Rs3,000 with no corresponding increase in salary. He said the government should either reduce petrol prices or raise wages, as rising fuel costs were straining household budgets. He added that individuals in nuclear family setups were feeling the pressure more acutely than those living in joint families.

Meanwhile, the petrol price hike has also led several welfare organisations in Karachi to raise the charges for ambulance and funeral transport services, as higher fuel costs begin to affect essential services. Organisations providing local, intercity and interprovincial ambulance services have increased their charges by 10% to 30% to offset rising fuel expenses, adding to citizens' grievances regarding the price increase.