Protests by the land transport sector continued in Jordan today, Sunday, against the government's hike in oil derivatives prices for the 16th time in two years.
Dozens of drivers of trucks and buses of internal and public transportation have staged a sit-in in the Jordanian governorate of Al-Salt.
Drivers also protested in the city of Ma'an and in the capital, Amman, demanding that the government grant them a preferential price for public transport fuel because they did not raise transportation prices.
Several Jordanian cities have been witnessing, for about a week, protests by drivers against the high prices of oil derivatives.
And Anatolia Agency reported that the land transport sector in Jordan entered its seventh day of strike, to demand a reduction in the prices of oil derivatives.
The strike, which began last Monday, continues without any looming signs of an imminent solution, amid official confirmation of attempts to reach understandings.
The agency added that the strike, which began with the truck sector, later included other means of transportation in the country's various governorates, including water tanks, buses, taxis, and others.
According to the statistics of the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (governmental), the number of trucks in the Kingdom is about 21 thousand trucks of all types (cargo and container transport).
Right demands
Abla Weshah, a spokeswoman for the authority, said that the demands are to reduce fuel prices, "and we are trying to reach understandings to preserve and perpetuate this sector."
For his part, economic researcher Amer Al-Shobaki said, "The striking drivers' demands are justified, as the transport sector has suffered greatly in the past period without hearing the voices of their calls."
"Now, the drivers' financial returns are not commensurate with inflation rates and high diesel prices," he added.
It is noteworthy that the Jordanian government recently raised the prices of oil derivatives, bringing the price of a liter of diesel to 895 fils ($1.26), while the price of a liter of petrol ranged between 920 fils ($1.29) and 1170 fils ($1.64).