Bus and minibus drivers demonstrated Saturday, November 7, 2026 in front of the Tripoli Serail. Participants cut off the road in front of the building to claim protection for their activity. The gathering brought together the union unions of northern workers and land transport, as well as the committees of bus drivers and minibuses.
The security forces have taken steps in the vicinity of the serail to control the movement and organize traffic. The available reports do not specify the number of participants or the duration of the blockage.
Tripoli drivers demand common rules
The development of public transport between Tripoli and Akkar is at the centre of the demands. Shadi el-Sayed, President of the Union of Workers’ Unions of the North, recognizes the need for this service. However, it calls for an organisation that preserves drivers and owners of vehicles already present on these lines.
The union leader believes that these professionals have provided travel for years without adequate protection. It calls on the State to take account of their situation in the context of the transport offer. It also criticises the role of private companies in the operation of the service.
This position concerns the conditions of competition and the place of existing operators. It does not constitute the announcement of a suspension of the Tripoli-Akkar link. No general interruption of this service is confirmed in the information consulted.
Vehicle control at the heart of applications
Drivers’ representatives denounce the activity of vehicles which they present as unauthorized for paid transport. Moustapha Battikh, representative of the Rosa Bus Drivers Committee, cites in particular private-plated vehicles. He asked the Minister of Transport to increase attention to these practices.
These denunciations remain those of the organizers. The minutes of the meeting do not provide an administrative record of the infringements or data to measure their extent. Nor do they report a new control operation announced by the authorities.
Stakeholders are also calling for a tax policy that covers low-income groups. Shadi al-Sayed calls on the government to protect the livelihoods of drivers. He also appealed to the President of the Republic to intervene in the case.
A threat of increased mobilization, without an announced date
Mohammad al-Shami, a representative of the minibuses, criticized the meetings held in Beirut, which he considered insufficient for the professionals of the North. He defends the role of unions in discussions about the sector’s demands.
Shadi al-Sayed warns that the movement could grow if the demands remain unanswered. No timetable for new action or general strike order is announced in the report. There is no agreement with the government on the claims presented to the Serail.
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