As the School Year Begins... A New Cry Over Fuel Prices!

The Lebanese School Transport Drivers Union has condemned the authorities' continued indifference toward the fuel crisis and transportation costs, as Lebanon enters a new academic and university year without any serious measures taken by relevant parties to alleviate burdens on students, families, and drivers.

In a statement, the union said the authorities have done nothing in response to the sharp increase in operating costs for student transport vehicles, nor have they offered any serious solution to fuel prices, as if they are unconcerned about the additional financial strain this places on families preparing for a new academic and university year.

It emphasized that the ongoing rise in fuel prices is placing unbearable pressure on drivers, while any increase in transportation fees is directly passed on to students and their families, leaving everyone facing a shared crisis for which the authorities bear responsibility.

The union stressed that what is needed from the authorities is not empty promises or mere price monitoring, but immediate, tangible actions to reduce fuel and transportation costs—especially at this critical juncture when the start of the academic year coincides with persistent economic and living pressures on citizens.

The union expressed astonishment at how the authorities could foresee that millions of students would head daily to schools and universities, and thousands of drivers would begin a new work year, yet take no action to ease transportation costs or protect both students and drivers.

It called on the Ministry of Energy and relevant government bodies to fulfill their responsibilities and implement urgent measures to address fuel prices and transportation costs, stressing that drivers can no longer sustain losses, and students and their families cannot bear further increases in transportation fees.

The union concluded by affirming that the start of the academic and university year should be a time to relieve people’s burdens—not add new ones—and that the authorities’ continued neglect of this crisis is no longer acceptable, demanding immediate action before students and drivers pay the price of their inaction.