Rashid Ali has driven a motorized three-wheeler through Lahore’s busy streets for over a decade. Starting his workday before dawn and often driving until midnight, the 33-year-old father previously managed to bring home about Rs1,700, or roughly $6.50, daily. That modest income was enough to secure the bare essentials for his household. Today, however, a severe energy crunch has upended his livelihood, leaving him unable to earn even half of his former daily wage. As soaring pakistan lpg prices rickshaw drivers continue to squeeze daily earnings, the reality on the ground has become increasingly desperate for thousands of transport workers.
The Fuel of the Urban Working Class and How Pakistan LPG Prices Rickshaw Drivers Affect Daily Life
Ali is far from alone in his struggle. Thousands of transport operators across the region rely on liquefied petroleum gas to keep their vehicles moving. Majeed Ghauri, chairman of the Awami Rickshaw Union, notes that this energy source is widely regarded as essential for lower-income laborers. According to the original report, roughly 70 percent of the union’s tens of thousands of auto-rickshaws and motorcycle-based three-wheelers run entirely on these cylinders. Ghauri emphasizes the human toll of the current financial burden: “Our drivers are working longer hours than ever before, yet they are bringing home less money at the end of the day because every single rupee they earn goes straight into buying overpriced fuel. It is an impossible cycle that is destroying working-class families.”
Many operators echo these sentiments, describing a daily routine marked by anxiety and dwindling prospects. “I used to be able to feed my children meat twice a week and save a small amount for emergencies,” Ali shares. “Now, after paying for the gas needed to run my rickshaw, I barely have enough left to buy flour and lentils. Sometimes I park my vehicle by the side of the road and just sit there, wondering how my family is going to survive the week if things do not improve soon.”
Border Closures Trigger Severe Energy Shock
The crisis began when recent border closures cut off crucial fuel supplies. Traders report that prices began climbing sharply after two crucial border crossings with Iran were shut down, bringing incoming shipments to a sudden halt. While one of these crossings reopened a week later, the temporary closure compounded ongoing economic pressures stemming from broader regional conflicts that began earlier in the year, sending shockwaves through domestic energy markets.
Local vendors and regional distributors explain that the sudden disruption in the supply chain created an immediate panic, causing spot prices for liquefied petroleum gas to surge beyond the reach of standard commercial buyers. Because transport operators operate on extremely tight daily margins, they have no cushion to absorb these sudden price hikes, meaning every single increase at the wholesale level translates into an immediate crisis for the driver on the street.
Families Forced Into Desperate Measures
As fuel expenses eat up a vastly disproportionate share of daily revenues, drivers like Ali find themselves taking home closer to Rs800, or about $3, on a good day. The drastic drop in purchasing power has forced families to scale back their most basic needs. With household budgets stretched to their absolute breaking point, many are now skipping meals entirely just to make ends meet through the crisis.
Union representatives point out that government intervention has been painfully slow, leaving vulnerable transport workers to fend for themselves against predatory pricing by middlemen who take advantage of the shortage. Without immediate subsidies or strict price controls on domestic distribution, the situation threatens to push an entire segment of the urban workforce into absolute poverty.
The ongoing strain highlights the fragile nature of urban transit economies when hit by sudden import bottlenecks. Until energy costs stabilize and supply chains return to normal capacity, daily wage earners will continue bearing the heaviest burden of these macroeconomic shocks.
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