Dozens of cargo transporters protested this Monday in the city of Bogotá against the increase in the cost of fuel. They moved through several roads in the capital until they reached the Ministry of Transport.
Photo: Mauricio Alvarado Lozada
This Friday, August 30, the Colombian Truckers Association (ACC) announced protests in at least 19 cities across the country starting at 6:00 a.m., calling not only for drivers of heavy vehicles but also of school routes, urban buses, intermunicipal buses, and tourist vehicles.
The reasons for the protest are due to the “abusive and absurd price increase of 63% on diesel.” It should be noted that on August 21, the Minister of Finance, Ricardo Bonilla, reported that the price of diesel will have a total increase of $6,000. Currently, the gallon of this fuel costs $9,456, which means it would exceed $15,000.
This increase, Bonilla emphasized, will be distributed over three adjustments of $2,000 each, taking place semiannually and starting before the end of 2024; the second in mid-2025 and the third at the end of that same year.
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The National Government argued that the reason behind the increases in fuel prices is to prevent the deficit of the Fuel Price Stabilization Fund (FEPC) from increasing, as each adjustment in diesel would help reduce it by approximately $2 to $3 billion.
What are the concentration points in Bogotá?
The mobilizations, which according to the ACC will be “peaceful caravans,” will start in Bogotá at 7 a.m., from the playón of Fontibón (Calle 13)- Avenida Boyacá- Avenida La Esperanza- MinTransporte-Carrera 50-Calle 26- and will end at Carrera 7 with Calle 26, doing the same return route.
“It is not the right time to increase the diesel price by $6,000 per gallon. The economy is still stagnant (…). A significant increase in diesel will lead to new pressure on inflation in different sectors of the economy, which will affect the reactivation process,” stated the Inter-Gremial Transport Chamber on August 20.
To learn more news from the capital and Cundinamarca, visit the Bogotá section of El Espectador.
