The prices of gasoline, diesel and cooking gas all rose slightly on Friday. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
BEIRUT — The Energy Ministry issued new fuel prices Friday, slightly increasing the cost of gasoline, diesel and cooking gas.
Here’s what we know:
• The price of 20 liters of 95-octane gas rose by LL5,400 to LL308,000; 98-octane, by LL5,800 to LL318,600; and diesel, by LL20,900 to LL321,100. The price of a tank of household gas rose by LL17,300 and now costs LL279,800.
• The recent fall in the value of the Lebanese lira against the US dollar is given as a reason for the increase in fuel costs, with the lira presently selling for LL25,500 on the parallel market.
• In addition to the increasingly unaffordable fares faced by commuters, drivers of shared transportation vehicles, who are generally not supported by the government, are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet due to the exorbitant rise in the cost of fuel and the difficulty in obtaining it. According to Bassam Tlais, head of the land transport unions, the unions will continue an open-ended strike that began yesterday and are planning another sit-in across Lebanon for next Thursday "to amplify the need for the government to meet our demands, including a solution to [high] fuel prices and the issue of private transportation companies hiring drivers without taxi licenses."