Rising prices of petrol, diesel, and CNG are tightening household budgets and threatening livelihoods for commuters and transport workers across Delhi and neighbouring Ghaziabad, with residents reporting that repeated hikes are making daily life increasingly difficult. The concern spans taxi drivers, daily wage earners, and middle-class families alike, according to ground-level accounts gathered on 26 May.

CNG Drivers Bear the Sharpest Burden

Taxi drivers operating on CNG say they are caught in a squeeze: operational costs are climbing sharply while ride-hailing platforms have not revised fares upward to match. 'CNG prices are rising, but Ola and Uber fares are not increasing,' one Delhi taxi driver said, adding that the government had not responded to their concerns. Another driver described the situation as a serious difficulty for ordinary people, questioning how work could continue if prices kept rising at the current pace.

In Ghaziabad, the strain runs deeper for drivers who depend on their vehicles for income. 'CNG prices have increased many times. We are unable to run our vehicles properly. We are not even able to pay our vehicle instalments, and managing household expenses has become very difficult,' a local driver said.

The Price Gap Between CNG and Petrol Is Narrowing

A key concern flagged by commuters is that CNG — long considered the affordable alternative to petrol — is losing that cost advantage rapidly. One commuter estimated that CNG had risen by around ₹8 to ₹9 in the past couple of weeks, saying there was 'hardly any difference left now between petrol and CNG.' This erosion of the price differential undermines the core reason many drivers and fleet operators switched to CNG in the first place.

Impact Felt Across Income Groups

Residents stressed that the burden is not limited to transport workers. 'Everyone, from the middle class onward, is being affected. People may not be openly saying it, but it is impacting everyone — whether it is LPG cylinders, petrol, or diesel,' one resident said. The convergence of fuel, cooking gas, and transport costs is compressing disposable income across households that were already managing tight budgets.

Global Context Cited, but Local Relief Demanded

Some residents acknowledged the global dimension of the price surge, pointing to ongoing international tensions as a contributing factor. 'This is not only India's crisis but a worldwide one,' a Ghaziabad resident said, while also noting that the frequency of hikes — reportedly ₹2 to ₹3 every second or third day for CNG — was excessive. Others compared India's situation favourably to neighbouring countries, though they stopped short of dismissing the domestic hardship. This comes amid a broader pattern of energy cost volatility that has periodically strained urban transport ecosystems in Indian cities over the past two years.