Mawlamyine, September (23)
Taxi drivers told Than Lwin Times that their families have faced livelihood problems as a result of low income due to high gasoline and basic food prices in Mon State in more than one and a half years following the military coup.
Due to the high price of fuel, along with the increase in fares, drivers have become less customers.
“The drivers have to borrow money from others to solve the family problem. If I get a Ks 10,000 fee, I have to buy about Ks 6,000 worth of oil. I have no profit left while spending time in the sun all day. Some married people are stuck in debt,” a driver said.
Due to the military council’s curfew orders, the three- wheel rickshaw drivers are no longer able to work at night as before, and they are unable to transport long-distance passengers due to security concerns, which are the reasons for the decrease in income.
Currently, the income of taxi drivers is almost half of what they earned before the coup, and they even have to cut prices to earn a regular income. A taxi driver also said that it no longer covers the family’s livelihood.
Some drivers can no longer bear the brunt of the military coup, so some people have sold three-wheel auto rickshaws and shifted businesses.
Taxi drivers are suffering the impact of the high price of basic food items, which have nearly quadrupled since the military coup.
In Mon State, there are thousands of taxi drivers, including three-wheel cycle rickshaw drivers, and currently, families who depend on this business are finding it difficult to make ends meet.
News – Than Lwin Times
Thanlwintimes