India's CNG Prices Hiked for the 4th Time in Two Weeks, Uber and Auto-Rickshaw Drivers Struggle

NEW DELHI (CNA) - The Middle East conflict has caused global energy supply shortages, and India's Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) prices were hiked again today, marking the fourth increase in two weeks. Uber and auto-rickshaw drivers are struggling, caught in a dilemma where raising fares drives away customers, while not raising them leads to a severe drop in income. Since the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran in February, peace talks are ongoing, but the Strait of Hormuz, blocked by the Middle East war, has not been fully reopened. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital shipping lane for 20% of the world's oil and gas, and India, which relies on imports for over 80% of its oil and gas, has been severely impacted. Following four fuel price hikes in two weeks, India's CNG prices were also raised today, marking the fourth increase in two weeks. According to India Today, after the first hike on the 16th, there were two more rounds of increases, and today it rose by another 2 rupees per kilogram. In Delhi, the price of CNG per kilogram has risen by 7 rupees (approximately 2.31 NTD) in two weeks. The group most affected by the repeated CNG price hikes are drivers who make a living driving Ubers and auto-rickshaws. Krishna, an Uber driver in New Delhi, told CNA that the ride-hailing platform has not raised passenger fares, but prices have been rising for years, making it "harder and harder to earn money." With fuel prices rising four times in a row, he said, "I really can't hold on much longer." Krishna mentioned that he chose a CNG vehicle to save on fuel costs and earn a bit more, but now that fuel prices have risen, more than half of the fare collected after the platform's commission goes to fuel, making life very difficult. Sunil Kumar, a citizen in Delhi who was about to transfer to an auto-rickshaw after getting off the subway, told CNA that gas and CNG prices are rising. His home is about a 5-minute ride from the subway station, and the fare used to be around 70 to 80 rupees, but now drivers demand at least 100 rupees. "If I can bargain down to 90 rupees, I will consider taking it; otherwise, paying about 120 rupees for an Uber is relatively more cost-effective." Sachin Shukla, an auto-rickshaw driver waiting for passengers outside a commercial district, told CNA, "Fuel prices keep rising, and if we don't raise fares, we can't make money. But if we keep raising fares, passengers would rather choose cars with air conditioning, so we are in a very difficult position." The Economic Times pointed out that government officials and industry executives stated that due to rising international crude oil prices and the depreciation of the Indian rupee, energy-related companies are facing increasing financial pressure. The Hindustan Times mentioned that before fuel prices like gasoline, diesel, and CNG began to rise, related companies were losing 10 billion rupees (approximately 3.302 billion NTD) per day. After the fuel price hikes, although the daily losses have eased, they are still around 6 billion rupees (approximately 1.981 billion NTD).