Bus drivers blocking a road in North Lebanon in protest against illegal competition on March 9, 2024. (Illustration photo by Michel Hallak/L'Orient-le Jour)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's outgoing Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamiyeh, introduced a new official fare structure on Thursday for transportation services, including taxis, service (taxi carpools), minivans, and buses. This comes in the wake of a relatively stable monetary situation following a record collapse of the Lebanese pound between 2019 and 2023. The new fares reflect increased rates and most are effective immediately.
During a meeting with public transport unions, represented by Bassam Tleiss, President of the Syndicates of Drivers and Land Transport Workers in Lebanon, it was decided that a taxi ride within Beirut will now cost LL600,000 and a shared taxi ride (or service) within the same area will be LL150,000. Recent reports suggest that the shared taxi service within Beirut had already been priced similarly. Bus and minivan rides in the capital will now officially cost 75,000 LBP. "These fares were adopted in coordination with all unions," affirmed the minister.
Before the 2019 crisis, a ride within Beirut was equivalent to $8," said Dani Habsheh, a taxi company owner in the city. The LL600,000 rate is equivalent to roughly $6.75.
"The fare increases are directly linked to higher contributions to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), and they are gradually approaching pre-crisis levels, but still fall short," Habsheh said.
Currently, the exchange rate stands at 89,500 LBP per dollar, compared to 1,500 LBP per dollar before September 2019.
Exchange rate stabilization
"Since the exchange rate, vehicle maintenance costs, and fuel prices have stabilized, it's now feasible to set transport fares," Hamiyeh said. "This meeting was the culmination of several months of discussions aimed at establishing balanced transport fares."
According to the minister, the fare increase benefits over 34,000 licensed taxi drivers across Lebanon, around 2,500 bus drivers, and more than 4,000 minibus drivers. "We sought to strike a balance between drivers' livelihoods and citizens' incomesm" Hamiyeh explained, underscoring the necessity to reintroduce mechanical inspection.
Union representative Tleiss welcomed the new rates, pointing out that "over the past five years, it was impossible to reach this objective due to exchange rate fluctuations, fuel prices, and daily life costs."
Below are some of the new fares published by the Transport Ministry.
Fares for rides from Beirut to the South:
- Beirut-Saida: Taxi LL1,200,000 ; taxi-service LL300,000 ; minibus and bus LL150,000
- Beirut-Sour: Taxi LL2,280,000 ; taxi-service LL570,000 ; and buses LL270,000
Fares for rides to the Bekaa Region:
- Beirut-Dahr al-Beidar: Taxi LL1,200,000 ; taxi-service LL300,000 ; bus LL135,000
- Beirut-Zahle: Taxi LL1,800,000 ; taxi-service LL450,000 ; bus LL195,000
- Beirut-Baalbek: Taxi LL2,400,000 ; taxi-service LL600,000 ; bus LL285,000
Fares for rides to the North:
- Beirut-Tripoli: Taxi LL2,400,000 ; taxi-service LL600,000 ; bus LL240,000
- Beirut-Zgharta: Taxi LL3,000,000 ; taxi-service LL750,000 ; bus LL315,000
- Beirut-Batroun: Taxi LL1,560,000 ; taxi-service LL390,000 ; bus LL180,000
- Beirut-Jbeil: Taxi LL1,080,000 ; taxi-service LL270,000 ; bus LL150,000
- Beirut-Jounieh: Taxi LL600,000 ; taxi-service LL150,000 ; bus LL90,000
Fares for rides to Mount Lebanon:
- Beirut-Aley: Taxi LL720,000 ; taxi-service LL180,000 ; bus LL90,000
- Beirut-Faraya: Taxi LL1,860,000 ; taxi-service LL465,000 ; bus LL210,000