Sudan’s transport union raises bus fares by up to 40%

Sudan’s Transport Chambers Union raised bus and minibus fares in October 2026 as fuel shortages disrupted travel and goods deliveries, Al Jazeera reported on October 24. Drivers are losing earning time in petrol queues, while higher transport costs have led a cleaner to cut her working days and a trader to stop serving customers in other states.

War damage has sharply reduced Sudan’s oil production, leaving the country reliant on fuel imports. According to World Bank reporting cited by Al Jazeera, attacks on the Balila oil field disrupted supplies to the Khartoum refinery, which previously met about 60% of Sudan’s demand for petrol and liquefied petroleum gas.

Queues and fares cut into working time

The Transport Chambers Union, which regulates public and private transport services, increased fares because of the fuel crisis, Al Jazeera reported.

Port Sudan minibus driver Azhari Mohamed told Al Jazeera that he spends two days driving and a third queuing for petrol. He can wait more than five hours, only to find that the station has run out before his turn. He then joins a queue elsewhere, losing more time he could spend earning money.

In Mohamed’s account, his daily petrol bill is about 105,000 Sudanese pounds, and he has about 50,000 pounds left after vehicle operating costs. He said he works extra hours at night to make up for time spent waiting for fuel.

Cleaner Aziza Ibrahim, also in Port Sudan, said she has reduced her working days to three a week to limit travel costs. In her account, the round trip costs 11,000 Sudanese pounds a day, and transport consumes nearly half her monthly salary of 400,000 pounds. She sometimes borrows money simply to reach work.

Fewer deliveries leave goods with traders

Ahmed al-Haj, who sells and packages skincare products in Omdurman, told Al Jazeera that higher diesel and petrol prices have increased the cost of transporting a tonne of his goods by 30–50%. He said that increase is reflected in product prices. Electricity cuts also force him to use a fuel-powered generator for heating or packaging, adding to his costs.

Al-Haj said high transport costs have made it impossible to reach customers in other states. Transport and distribution workers are making fewer trips, he added, leaving goods piled up at traders’ premises.

Analyst calls for easier fuel imports

Economic analyst Sidi Ohaj told Al Jazeera that government requirements for petroleum importers have also contributed to the shortage. He described rules requiring importers to deposit 200 kilograms of gold in Sudan’s central bank and own fuel-storage facilities. Some companies could not meet those conditions and left the market, reducing supply relative to demand, he said.

Ohaj identified the continuing war and drone attacks threatening infrastructure as major challenges for the oil sector. He called on the government to ease import procedures urgently to increase domestic fuel supplies.