Ailed by a snowballing fuel and economic crisis, Syrians have backslid to outdated modes of transportation like riding horses and mules to get around the capital, Damascus.
“The crisis is overwhelming, and the country is almost paralyzed,” a Damascene resident complained to Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that employees and students are not showing up to their desks either because of coronavirus risks or absent means of transportation.
“Work at state departments and offices is almost nonexistent due to power cuts and disruption of computers and networks,” the resident noted, describing the situation in Syria as “catastrophic.”
Syria, which has been torn by over a decade of civil war, is now unable to secure all the fuel supplies needed to power the country’s offices, public transportation and homes.
Hordes of people can be seen waiting at way stations all day long. Syrians have been left to struggle daily for grabbing their spots on public transportation buses that have been cut down in numbers due to a recurring and aggravating fuel crisis.
The Damascene roads once famous for hustling and bustling traffic are now almost empty.
A teacher at one of the capital’s downtown schools recounts how walking has become the only available option to get to work.
Teachers in Damascus are paid an average monthly salary of SYP 60,000 (around $18) while a single taxi ride within the city runs at a fare of SYP 7,000- SYP 10,000.
“When I’m too tired to walk, I just stay at home,” the teacher told Asharq Al-Awsat.
City councils in Damascus and nearby governorates have collectively decided to reduce the amount of fuel rationed for private and public vehicles.
According to the cutback, private cars will be given 20 liters of gas every seven days. Public cars will receive the same amount but at a frequency of once in four days.
Gas stations will also stop providing microbuses with the diesel they used to give out every Friday until further notice. Instead, only municipality buses will be supplied with the subsidized diesel to secure transportation services for citizens.
In mid-March, the cost per liter of subsidized petrol rose from SYP 475 to SYP 750. Unsubsidized rates also rose from SYP 1,300 to SYP 2,000 a liter.
It is worth noting that Damascus has repeatedly raised fuel prices in recent years to tackle an accelerating economic crisis sparked by a decade-long civil war and compounded by sanctions, the coronavirus pandemic and a financial crunch in neighboring Lebanon.
