Public transport fares to be raised by 10%

AMMAN — Public transport fares are to be hiked by 10 per cent as of January 5, under a decision taken by Land Transport Regulatory Commission (LTRC) Director General Salah Lozi, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Wednesday. 

The decision covers medium and heavy transport buses and all taxis, Petra reported, quoting Lozi as saying that the increase is based on inflation and the prices of fuel.

The last increase in transport fares was in 2012 — a 10 per cent increase for gasoline-fuelled vehicles and 11 per cent for diesel-fuelled vehicles.

The LTRC will give taxi drivers a two-week duration to rectify their status and adjust their meters in accordance with the new tariff, Lozi said, adding that the “regional developments imposed tough condition on the transport sector, especially on trucks and delivering goods”.

Thus, it was “necessary” to address the issues facing operators and workers in the transport sector, the LTRC director general said.

The LTRC is responsible for the transport sector and providing incentives to operators, as well as boosting investments, and there is a discussion of a potential 75 per cent income tax exemption for investors, according to Lozi. 

The transport sector accounts for 26 per cent of the gross domestic product, and the investments in it are “large and fruitful” Lozi said, noting that some of the challenges facing the sector are due to the fact that operators tend to be individuals rather than companies.

The LTRC, he added, has been urging individual transport business owners to form coalitions.