Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah
Taxi and bus drivers in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Al-Sulaymaniyah province on Sunday demanded gasoline at 450 dinars ($0.34) per liter, revisions to the fare-meter system, and more government fuel stations after shortages and rising operating costs cut into their incomes.
Taxi drivers’ representative Koslan Rashid told a press conference that the current rate of 300 dinars ($0.23) per kilometer does not account for time lost in traffic congestion, and continued pressure on drivers could raise transport costs for residents, particularly ahead of the new school year and after delayed public-sector salaries.
The drivers also submitted a memorandum calling for six government fuel stations, including two reserved for taxis and buses.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Natural Resources has approved one dedicated government station after the request was referred through the district and provincial administrations, drivers’ union chief Azad Ahmed said. The station is scheduled to begin operating on August 3, although its location, allocation, operating hours, and fuel price were not disclosed.
Drivers want the 450-dinar rate applied in Iraq’s central and southern provinces. The KRG prices government-supplied regular gasoline at 750 dinars ($0.57) per liter and caps commercial gasoline at 850 dinars ($0.65), but shortages have limited access and produced long queues at government stations.
Commercial gasoline had exceeded 1,300 dinars ($0.99) per liter in parts of the Iraqi Kurdistan before the July price cap. In Al-Sulaymaniyah, regular gasoline reached 1,000 dinars ($0.76) per liter in June, while improved and super grades sold for 1,200 dinars ($0.92) and 1,350 dinars ($1.03), respectively.
Iraqi Kurdistan requires between 126,700 and 140,000 barrels of fuel per day but receives about 50,000 barrels from the federal government, according to Acting Natural Resources Minister Kamal Mohammed. More than 2.709 million vehicles are registered across the region, adding pressure on subsidized supplies.