Egyptian authorities announced an increase in public transport ticket prices, including both the metro and trains, by percentages ranging between 12.5% and 33%, effective Thursday, August 1.
This increase comes a week after fuel prices were raised by percentages ranging between 10% and 15% and aims to adjust prices in the face of increasing energy costs.
The new increases, as reported by local media, range from two to five pounds, depending on the lines and distances traveled.
The decision comes as millions rely daily on public transport in the capital and its suburbs to commute to their workplaces, which increases the living pressures on citizens, especially since it was indicated that the increase in ticket prices particularly affected vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, as they witnessed a significant increase from half a pound per ticket to five pounds.
The Railway Authority is working on implementing new procedures that include selling tickets at non-fractional prices during peak demand times, such as holidays and festivals, with the aim of increasing revenues.
Since the beginning of 2024, Egypt has faced a worsening fuel crisis due to several economic and political factors, one of the most prominent reasons being the economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund as part of its loan program for Egypt, as fuel prices have been raised twice since the beginning of the year, in March and July, in order to narrow the gap between production costs and selling prices and gradually reduce government fuel subsidies until the end of 2025.
In March 2024, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced the first increase in fuel prices this year, as the prices of gasoline of various types and diesel, as well as domestic gas cylinders, increased, and the price of diesel increased from 8.25 pounds to 10 pounds per liter, and the price of 92 gasoline from 11.5 pounds to 12.5 pounds per liter.
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