Damascus Bus Drivers Protest

Large numbers of Damascus bus drivers protested against a cut in the fare on the Mazzeh line on September 13, the website all4Syria said in an article posted on the same day.



The government recently divided the line into two, with a fare of five Syrian pounds (11 US cents) in each section instead of nine pounds for the whole route before.



The self-employed drivers’ protest caused traffic jams and forced people to find alternative means of transport, the website said.



It added that the protest was the second of its kind in a week.



According to the website, the cost of public transport has soared by 75 per cent in the past year after diesel prices were increased. This stirred discontent among Syrian citizens who use mostly mini-buses for urban transport.



Protests are a rare phenomenon in Syria since people can be punished by the authorities. Although the Syrian constitution guarantees the right to protest, the country’s penal code prevents more than seven persons from assembling on the street to complain about a government decision, the website noted.



Participating in a protest could lead to a jail sentence ranging from one month to a year.