The Syrian Future Movement is following with grave concern the partial strike by minibus drivers in Damascus and its countryside on Monday, November 24, 2025. This strike is in protest against reports circulating about a planned fare reduction from 3,000 Syrian pounds to 2,500 pounds without an official announcement and without considering actual operating costs, as reported by local media.
The Syrian Future Movement believes this strike is a direct continuation of the strike that took place in Jableh earlier this month. The Syrian Future Movement previously issued an official statement on November 10, 2025, entitled “Minibus Drivers’ Strike in Jableh,”
in which we affirmed the following:
- That reducing fares is a positive step to alleviate the burden on citizens, but it should not be done at the expense of drivers without prior dialogue or compensatory support.
- The necessity of conducting transparent studies of operating costs and launching genuine support packages for public transportation.
- A call for official authorities to engage in immediate dialogue with drivers instead of making unilateral decisions. Unfortunately, what we warned against in the Jableh statement is being repeated today in Damascus: sudden decisions, a lack of dialogue, and placing the burden of reforms that should have been managed in a balanced and fair manner on the working class.
The Syrian Future Movement stands with both the citizens and the drivers, and reaffirms the following position:
- The drivers’ right to legitimate and peaceful protest, and the rejection of any attempts to suppress or criminalize it.
- The necessity of suspending any fare reduction until a transparent and comprehensive study of operating costs is conducted and the results are publicly announced.
- A call for the government and the governorate to open an urgent and direct dialogue with drivers’ representatives within the next 48 hours to reach a fair fare that takes both sides into account.
- An immediate demand for a support package for the public transportation sector that includes:
- A reduction in the price of diesel fuel allocated to public vehicles.
- Temporary tax exemptions on vehicles and spare parts.
- Facilitating the import of tires and spare parts.
The emphasis is on easing the burden on citizens through direct support for families or salary increases, not by shifting the burden from the passenger to the driver.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that Syria will only prosper through dialogue, partnership, and justice for all its citizens, and that any reform that fails to consider the suffering of both sides will not last long.
