More Lebanese women dodge fuel shortage on motorcycles
More women in Lebanon are using motorcycles to move around the city as fuel prices are soaring amid the devastating economic crisis.
BEIRUT — Soaring fuel prices in Lebanon have pushed citizens to find more affordable alternatives to their vehicles. The sight of women on motorcycles has become more common, since motorcycles are more fuel-efficient than cars.
Aya Awad, 20, a university student who lives in Tarik el-Jedideh in the capital Beirut, told Al-Monitor, “I bought a motorcycle about three years ago, just when the economic crisis began. It is cheaper and faster than a car during congested rush hours.”
She added, “This decision changed my life. It is a convenient and affordable means of transportation. I go everywhere with my motorcycle, to university, out with friends, or shopping.”
Since 2021, fuel prices have risen gradually as the government began lifting subsidies, while purchasing power shrank. This coincided with an increase in the taxi and public transportation fare. Combined with the lack of a modern public transportation system in Lebanon, more women are using motorcycles, ignoring customs and traditions and gender discrimination.
