Transport companies in 35 Russian regions raise fares or cut routes amid fuel crisis, iStories reports

Across thirty-five Russian regions, public transit companies are raising fares or cutting routes as a fuel crisis—triggered by Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries—tightens supply. Meduza reports that twenty-five regions have hiked fares while ten others have trimmed schedules or canceled routes entirely, citing independent investigative outlet iStories. The toll on commuters is real: in Irkutsk, fares jumped twenty percent in early July, from thirty-seven to forty-five rubles, while the fifty-kilometer inter-city route to Angarsk climbed more than thirty percent, from one hundred ninety to two hundred fifty rubles. Similar increases struck Buryatia and Altai Krai. The root cause, according to carriers, is blunt—drivers are now spending hours waiting in line for fuel after shifts, all unpaid, and that lost time drives up labor costs. Small carriers working suburban routes are hit hardest. The crisis has dragged on for weeks, with authorities and gas stations imposing strict limits on diesel purchases.

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