RAWALPINDI: A new wave of public frustration is surfacing across Pakistan as repeated hikes in petroleum prices continue to squeeze household budgets, with online taxi and bike drivers emerging as one of the hardest-hit segments.
Social media posts circulating this week highlight the widening gap between operational costs and earnings for app-based drivers.
In one post, a user noted: “The biggest loss from expensive petrol is to online taxi drivers. Companies don’t increase fares, and customers along with them aren’t ready to pay justified rent. The government won’t make petrol cheap, at least it should consider these white-collar folks.”
The post tagged ride-hailing platforms inDrive and Yango, reflecting growing calls for fare revisions that match fuel inflation.
Another driver, Faheem Sajid, shared a personal breakdown of a recent trip: a 34-kilometer journey that consumed Rs 300 in petrol and incurred Rs 60 in application charges. After a 1.5-hour ride, his net savings stood at Rs 120. “At this rate, we are working to pay for petrol and platform commissions,” he wrote.
ٹوٹل سفر 34 کلومیٹر ۔
300 کا پٹرول۔۔
60 روپے ایپلیکیشن چارجز۔۔
ڈیڑھ گھنٹہ سفر۔۔
بچت= 120
موٹر سائیکل مینٹیننس الگ ۔۔میاں جدوں آوے گا لگ پتا جاوے گا #مئی9_یوم_جبر#حقیقی_آزادی_کے_قیدی#May9th_FalseFlag https://t.co/1VYtc0NE7n pic.twitter.com/RkCufUxu94
— Faheem Sajid (مدہوش) (@Madhosh232) May 9, 2026
The economics on the ground are visible in driver apps. A screenshot from Islamabad this morning showed a ride request for a 32.3 km trip from Range Road, Azam Colony in Rawalpindi to Jinnah Abad Road, Phulgran. The offered fare: PKR 480. For bike drivers, such rates often fail to cover fuel, maintenance, and daily expenses, forcing many to go “offline” during peak hours, as seen in the app status.
Ripple effects across sectors
The impact is not limited to ride-hailing. Transport unions, goods carriers, small traders, and daily wage workers report shrinking margins as fuel costs drive up prices of essentials. Vegetable vendors in Karachi cite a 20 to 30 percent rise in transport charges over the past quarter. School van operators have warned parents of impending fee increases. Middle-class families, already adjusting to electricity and food inflation, say intercity travel has become a luxury.
Economists point out that petroleum price adjustments, often linked to international crude rates and IMF program requirements, have an outsized impact in Pakistan due to heavy reliance on road transport and limited public transit alternatives.
Diplomacy abroad, discontent at home
The domestic strain comes at a time when Islamabad has positioned itself as a key diplomatic interlocutor in Middle East peace efforts. In recent months, senior officials have emphasized Pakistan’s role as a mediator in regional dialogues, with state communications highlighting the country’s “high-ranking international diplomacy” and commitment to stability in the Middle East.
On the streets of Rawalpindi and Karachi, however, the conversation is different. “We hear about peace talks and international roles, but our own kitchens are not at peace,” said Saim, a 4.44-rated driver whose app showed him 1.7 km from a Rs 480 ride request. “A 32 km ride for less than 500 rupees does not make sense when petrol is crossing limits every fortnight.”
No relief in sight
So far, ride-hailing companies have not announced across-the-board fare increases, citing market competition and customer retention. The government has defended recent price revisions as unavoidable due to global oil trends and fiscal constraints, with no immediate subsidy plans announced for commercial transport segments.
Labor representatives for gig-economy drivers are now demanding a three-part intervention: regulated per-kilometer rates indexed to fuel prices, a reduction in platform commissions for long-distance rides, and targeted relief on petroleum for registered commercial drivers.
Until then, drivers say they face a daily choice: accept low-paying rides and erode their savings, or stay offline and lose a day’s income. For many of the estimated 100,000+ app-based drivers in Pakistan, neither option is sustainable.
As one driver put it in a now widely shared post: “We are white-collar workers with blue-collar earnings, running on empty.”
