Higher fuel prices are making travel increasingly difficult for Damascus residents, with taxi drivers reporting fewer customers and passengers turning to crowded public transport or walking. Syria TV’s reporting found that drivers and passengers increasingly negotiate fares before journeys. Some bus and minibus operators also suspended services in protest over the gap between operating costs and regulated fares. Students and lower-income workers face particularly heavy pressure as commuting consumes a larger share of their earnings. Authorities have issued revised fares for 58 routes, but passengers interviewed said the increases were difficult to absorb.