Deir Ezzor –Obadah al-Sheikh 

Transportation fees in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have risen sharply due to fuel prices doubling, without any official regulations or pricing.

The increase in transportation fees in the area has reached over 100%, with the price of a liter of diesel soaring to 10,000 Syrian pounds, up from 4,000 pounds.

According to Enab Baladi‘s correspondent in Deir Ezzor, transport fees for short distances within the countryside reach 10,000 Syrian pounds, while transportation fees between crossings in the western and eastern countryside can reach up to 75,000 Syrian pounds, and taxi fares can go as high as 200,000 Syrian pounds.

Diesel transported to other areas

After December 15, prices for diesel began to gradually rise in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside (under SDF control) following the allowance for tankers to cross towards areas under temporary government control in Damascus.

By December 25, the price of a liter of diesel reached over 10,000 Syrian pounds, up from 4,000 pounds, whereas the price of refined gasoline reached 13,000 pounds, previously at 7,000 pounds.

Ismail al-Taha, a fuel tanker driver, told Enab Baladi that the rise in fuel prices is due to increased demand in other provinces and the SDF’s allowance for tankers to transport fuel there.

He added that tanker owners have increasingly directed their efforts toward transporting fuel to provinces controlled by the temporary government in Damascus, where they sell each liter for 11,000 Syrian pounds (2.5 million Syrian pounds per 220-liter barrel).

Doubled fees

University student Rama al-Madih finds herself needing to travel to the city center from the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside once a week, stating that she used to pay 50,000 Syrian pounds for transportation but now pays over 125,000 pounds.

The young woman is calling for finding solutions soon and for setting transportation fares, whether for cars or ferries (transport boats).

Tawfiq al-Malla, a 35-year-old minibus driver, told Enab Baladi that the main reason for the rise in transportation fees is the increase in fuel prices, alongside other costs such as oil changes for the vehicle and routine maintenance.

He noted that the fuel committee linked to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) does not provide sufficient support, as they allocate only 75 liters of diesel to each minibus every 10 days, of poor quality resembling heating diesel, which is unsuitable for vehicle operation amid declining temperatures.

Transportation fees impact food and goods prices, which merchants cite as a reason for raising prices of food and commodities.

The areas under AANES control in northeastern Syria experience periodic increases in transportation prices, coinciding with the rise in fuel prices and the depreciation of the Syrian pound against the dollar, among other factors contributing to the rise in transportation costs.