Truck drivers warn of soaring prices after 800% hike in highway tolls

Highway tolls for trucks increased by more than 800 percent recently, sparking the anger of thousands of drivers who use the Cairo-Alexandria Desert and Agricultural Roads, according to the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper.

Tolls were raised three weeks ago by the National Roads and Bridges Management Company, which is responsible for highway security and maintenance, reported Al-Ahram.

The toll for trucks carrying up to 35 tons was raised from LE35 to LE230, and any extra ton of cargo is an added LE22 cost. The move prompted the transportation contractors division to take several escalatory measures against what they describe as an action that could send the prices of basic commodities soaring, according to Al-Ahram.

Any increase in transportation or fuel costs generally has a direct impact on the prices of food and other commodities.

Annual urban inflation slowed to 11.4 percent in January from 11.7 percent in December, Reuters reported, as core annual inflation slid to 11.7 percent in January from 11.9 percent the previous month. A drastic increase in tolls and transportation costs could reflect on next month’s inflation rates.

Truck drivers interviewed by Al-Ahram complained that this means they have to pay twice for the weight of the cargo, once in customs at the Alexandria port and again at the highway toll stations.

Representatives of truck drivers’ networks and groups within the commerce chamber in Alexandria have met with officials from the company, but have not reached a compromise and say the may escalate their actions against this decision.

They demand a cancellation of the toll increase and a return to paying LE35 for every truck — otherwise, they say, the higher toll will lead to an economic crisis that the new government can hardly handle.

A looming energy shortage already causing daily power outages across Egypt may also drive up the prices of food and basic commodities in the coming months.

Long queues can already be seen outside gas stations as trucks and buses wait to fill up their tanks. This all comes as an unwelcome reminder of last summer’s crippling fuel shortages that peaked in the immediate days preceding the June 30 protests, which led to the removal of former President Mohamed Morsi.