Aden- The pace of the life of the Yemeni taxi driver, Muhammad Aref, changed, the prices of gasoline devoured his daily income, which led him to convert his vehicle to work with gas, taking an economic option that reduces the burdens of living in a country that was burdened by successive crises.
At first glance, this option appears to be a lifeline, as it reduces the costs of half, but it was not without dangers. With every operation of the engine, the anxiety is renewed from an invisible Ghazi leakage or a stray spark that may lead to a disaster, which occurred in several incidents.
Muhammad, who works to transport passengers between the governorates, does not represent an individual case, but rather reflects the reality of a wide segment of Yemeni drivers who were forced by the economic situation to adopt this solution, despite the increasing concerns about the possibility of explosions.
Significant increased
Despite the absence of accurate official statistics on the size of the phenomenon, local sources – to Al Jazeera Net – indicate a clear increase in the number of vehicles operating with liquefied gas, in conjunction with the high incident rates associated with this transformation.
In Taiz Governorate, the Director of Civil Defense, Colonel Fouad Al -Misbahi, says that the governorate has recorded more than 22 combustion cases of gas operating vehicles since mid -2024, and it is estimated that about 35% of transportation has become operating with this type of fuel.
In the city of Aden, Ali Al -Aqrabi – one of the workers in a natural gas packaging station – indicates that the demand to convert vehicles to work with gas witnessed a significant increase during the past year, explaining that nearly 70% of this demand comes from taxi drivers inside the city.
Al -Aqrabi adds – for Al -Jazeera Net – that the station in which it works receives more than 200 vehicles, which is a number that is high, which reflects a remarkable expansion in the phenomenon.
The roots of the phenomenon
The wave of converting vehicles began to work with gas since 2014, after a government decision to raise gasoline prices by 60%, while the price of home gas remained fixed. With the increasing demand, the transfer workshops spread randomly, often without regard to safety conditions.
During the past months, dozens of horrific incidents were recorded in a number of governorates, the last of which was in Aden in the middle of last month, when a gas cylinder exploded inside a parked taxi, which led to its fully ignited within seconds.
To reduce the exacerbation of these incidents, the Yemeni Authority for Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control in Aden was issued last November, to prevent the entry of vehicle gas cylinders without a prior license from the gas company, and the workshops are obligated to obtain official permits to practice the activity.
Colonel Al -Misbahi warns that the real danger does not lie in vehicles originally designed to work with gas, but rather in irregular conversions that take place within workshops that lack the lowest safety standards, as used or expired systems are used, and often does not match technical specifications.
In his speech to Al Jazeera Net – Al -Misbahi notes that some of these systems include oxygen cylinders or compressed air systems dedicated to filling car tires, which significantly increases the chances of accidents.
Reducing operating costs
However, the economic incentive remains a decisive factor in the spread of this phenomenon, as drivers estimate that the use of gas saves about 60% of operating costs. The gas cylinder (20 liters) is sold by about 8 thousand riyals (about 15 dollars), compared to 34,000 riyals (about 63.6 dollars) for the same amount of gasoline.
“I was traveling 500 km from Aden to Mukalla, and I consume in the range of 120 liters of gasoline on the trip, at a cost of more than 200 thousand Yemeni riyals (about 373 dollars), and this is absolutely not feasible,” Mohamed Aref told Al -Jazeera Net.
But after turning into the gas, it is paying less than half of this cost on each trip. Although he confesses that the vehicle’s performance with gas is weaker, especially in mountainous roads, low costs compensate for poor performance.
Possible dangers
For his part, Eng. Abdul Aziz Al -Rumish, a specialist in the conversion of vehicles, explains that the process includes installing tubes, valves and switching key between the two fuels, in addition to a gas tank that is often fixed at the back of the vehicle, without the need to adjust the engine itself.
He adds to Al -Jazeera Net that the transfer cost is about 346 dollars, after which the vehicle becomes able to operate with a dual system, as gas and gasoline are stored in two separate tanks.
However, the risk, according to Eng. Hadid Muthanna Al -Mas, Executive Director of the Standards and Metrology Authority, stems from the implementation of these transfers in unlicensed workshops, and with non -auto -dedicated cylinders, which are randomly installed that pose a real threat to lives.
He explained to Al -Jazeera Net that some vehicles are equipped with home or imported gas cylinders placed behind the driver or over his head, with extensions that pass under the feet of passengers or in the ceilings, which increases the chances of fatal accidents.
He stressed that the Yemeni specifications require that the vehicle be designed from the country of origin to work with gas, and do not allow local amendments, noting that this type of transfer is also prohibited in manufacturers and the Gulf states, where the producing company alone bears responsibility for the safety of the vehicle.
In the absence of effective oversight of the workshops and cylinders, and the continuation of the fuel crisis, many taxi drivers find themselves in front of an irreplaceable option.
Among the daily economic pressures and the present security concerns, the need remains urgent for official intervention that balances the requirements of living and the security and safety of citizens.
