"The smoke from the price hike for public transportation is visible to the public"
Yonatan Beit Kelia, a member of the Urban and Rural Management faction in the parliament, on Monday, May 25, called the 20 percent increase in transportation fares "very illogical" and said that "it's a smokescreen for people."
The prices of city buses, taxis and metro tickets in Tehran have increased by 20 percent as of today, Monday. This price increase was implemented based on a resolution of the city council and taking into account the inflation rate. This resolution of the city council had faced opposition.
According to the House of Representatives News Agency, belonging to the parliament, Yonatan Bat-Klia said: "Instead of improving the per capita cost of living in the city, the municipality and the city council of Tehran are seeking to increase the cost of living of the capital's citizens and compensate for the deficit in urban resources from the people's pockets."
According to the parliament's Khaneh Mellat news agency, he announced that "the smoke from the 20 percent increase in public transportation fares is visible to the people," adding that this measure is not in the best interest of the people at all and called on the municipality to reconsider it.
This member of the Urban and Rural Management Faction of the Parliament emphasized that the municipality should not cover all urban expenses from the people's pockets, adding: "Given the lack of an increase in gasoline prices, the increase in public transportation fares should not have increased either."
Yonatan Bet Kelia emphasized the need to determine transportation fares in an expert manner, adding: "The fact that the municipality reaches into people's pockets wherever it faces a budget shortage is tantamount to violating citizens' rights."
This is in a situation where, according to the MP, "no change has been made in the status and number of public transportation in the capital, and we are still faced with overcrowding in the metro and traffic in worn-out taxis and buses."
Referring to the increase of several hundred thousand tomans in the salaries of employees and workers, he said that they must spend several times this amount to purchase the necessities of life, especially meat and transportation fare.
In recent months, the prices of consumer goods in Iran have increased sharply. In this regard, the Statistical Center of Iran has estimated the inflation rate of services in the 12 months ending in Farvardin at between 21 and 29 percent.
Source: Radio Qarda
