Meeting at the Ministry of Finance... Agreement Concerning Public Transport Drivers

A meeting was held at the Ministry of Finance as a step to address the transportation crisis and limit the impact of rising costs on drivers and citizens. During the meeting, it was agreed to initiate procedures to open a credit line in the General Budget for 2026, to provide eligible public transport drivers with 12 million Lebanese pounds per month, for the period extending from October 1 to December 31, 2026, as a first phase.

This came during a meeting held at the Ministry of Finance on September 28, 2026, attended by Director General of Finance George Maawad, Director General of Land and Sea Transport Brigadier Mazen Basbous, Head of the Vehicle Registration Department Brigadier Nazih Qabrassli, Head of the Federation of Unions and Syndicates of the Land Transport Sector Hajj Bassam Tleiss, Director of Expenditures Rania Diab, and Government Commissioner at the Ministry of Finance Ziad Al-Sheikh.

It was agreed that this step would be matched by the commitment of public transport drivers to the tariff issued by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport dated April 15, 2026, noting that violating the official pricing would be grounds for depriving the offending driver of benefiting from the aforementioned dues.

In a second phase, it was agreed to establish an executive mechanism for paying compensation, pursuant to a joint decision issued by the Ministries of Finance and Public Works and Transport.

The agreement also included preparing a draft law to update land passenger transport vehicles of all categories, through a package of tax and customs exemptions.