Uncle Hassan wakes up every day at six in the morning and heads towards his car to start the ride in search of passengers, with a cup of coffee by his side all day long. If luck is on his side, he may find one or two passengers that he drives from Saida to Hamra or to one of the Beirut’s neighborhoods, or his luck may run out. This short ride costs Hassan about half a liter of gasoline, while he charges each passenger a fare ranging between LL 30,000 and LL 40,000.
This fare, which amounts to less than 1 USD or equals 1.25 USD according to the exchange rate of LL 36,000 to 1 USD, is seen by Hassan as LL 30,000,000 paid by passengers who are not better off compared to him. However, he gives the passengers a longer explanation and asks them to be patient by saying “By God, they have wronged us,” hoping this will bring consolation to the employees whose salary does not exceed 100 USD, but have to take a taxi in the absence of organized public transportation in Lebanon since President Fouad Chehab’s term.
Uncle Hassan recalls the good old days he misses, when the fare did not exceed LL 1,000. The car used to be full of passengers and was considered a source of livelihood for two or three families for a 6-hour workday. He recalls the days when the gasoline tank used to cost LL 12,000 and the taxi driver’s daily earnings amounted to 30 USD, and in doing so he evoked the luxury that the Lebanese now miss even in their conversations. The taxi driver, called the storyteller by some people, has turned into a “means of venting anger” for passengers in their complaints about the economic crisis that has taken its toll on them.
Hassan adds that the conversations are no longer the same. The passengers used to talk about night life and cafes, and then moved on to talk about the latest luxurious things they got. But now, the dollar rate and the price of gasoline are the talk of the town. What he said went beyond the conversations to cover the professional level of the passengers, whereby he explains to us that passengers do not include military personnel and school teachers any more, and that even tourists no longer wave to him.
Rides outside the city alleys and streets are also rare. A LL 300,000 taxi fare to Jounieh is no longer reasonable at a time the gasoline tank costs LL 600,000. A simple calculation shows that the distance from Beirut to Jounieh is 20 kilometers with a LL 300,000 cost. Therefore, Hassan prefers not to ride outside Beirut because he will not make profit or he may use more gasoline and consequently lose more money.
Hassan will have to pay extra money in fresh dollars, if one of Beirut streets’ potholes surprises him. These potholes, which have increased over time and brought up our main question about the city features since 2000, are a nightmare for every taxi driver because they may damage one of the car parts. Moreover, it is an additional piece of news in the conversations of taxi drivers who exhange it it among themselves as an advance warning.
In this context, Uncle Hassan mentions that not long ago he had to pay LL 600,000 to repair the wheel bearing, let alone the mechanic’s fees, since car parts are only priced in USD. He also added, “I avoid changing the car oil because every kilo costs LL 100,000.” He also thanks God for not having an air conditioner in his car, as this will double gasoline consumption.
For these reasons, Uncle Hassan has found a temporary solution. Thus, he started to do split work shifts the first of which extends from 7 am until 2 pm, and then he suspends work in the afternoon to save “gasoline”, after which he resumes work at night. However, now he is seriously considering returning to the land and picking apricots, in the hope that previous conditions will be restored, or at least a solution will be found to the unaffordable price of gasoline that is burdening him.
This situation is not confined to Uncle Hassan, but rather involves most taxi drivers who are working according to the lunisolar calendar, as they say, in order to satisfy basic needs only. Everything is carefully calculated and luxuries have become a figment of one’s imagination and a stolen right.
Passion prevails
However, unlike many, motorcycle taxi driver Rana is not thinking about giving up her job despite the difficulties imposed on the profession. After she stopped working for a security company with the onset of the economic crisis at the end of 2019, she thought about utilizing her ability to drive a motorcycle and placed an ad on social media announcing motorcycle taxi services for girls only. This ad received a favorable and encouraging response and as a result a good number of female clients are ordering her motorcycle taxi.
Rana chose to work on the motorcycle since it is a time-saving mode of transportation, especially for female employees who need a fast and safe mode of transportation at the same time. Rana drives her motorcycle every day from 6 am until 7:30 pm, and believes that difficult circumstances leave no choice for us but to deal with them and not give up. Even during the gasoline shortage crisis she did not stop working, but she only delivered taxi services to the girls she had previously committed herself to driving daily. Now, in light of the high price of gasoline tanks, she has raised the fare from LL 3,000 to LL 30,000, and explains that she may have to raise it more in order to keep working.
In addition, Rana’s strength of character has helped her overcome difficulties and made her indifferent to potential risks she might face while driving at night, hence she said, “I am not afraid of anything.” She also noted the support she received from her family, and she had earlier engaged her daughter in her work.
Over time, this profession has turned into a passion that Rana strongly maintains and refuses to give up because she sees in driving an opportunity to relieve the psychological pressure she may be placed under during her day, add to this the friendly relationship she has built with the girls, whereby they share their daily news and concerns with her. This relationship also prevents her from raising the fare significantly since she is aware of her clients’ financial conditions.
It is should be noted that Lebanon has been facing a severe fuel crisis since last year due to the failure of the Central Bank to open credits for private companies to be able to import fuel, which reduced fuel imports and delivery to stations. Meanwhile, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh also decided to abolish subsidies on fuel last August and to purchase it according to the Sayrafa Platform exchange rate, which led to an unprecedented rise in prices that reached LL 600,000 this month according to the exchange rate of LL 36,000 to 1 USD.