Driving a car has become highly expensive with the recent fuel price hike. With no other solution in sight, car owners are planning to come up with various ways to cut down fuel consumption.

Increase in the fuel price has adversely affected people from all walks of life. The hardest hit is the low income group. Car owners say because fuel is expensive, it is extremely difficult to get their cars running.

“Where there is a government colony like Chanjiji and Pension Board, instead of driving our individual cars, we should make a routine and take one car for four to five children to schools, so that automatically it will bring down the fuel cost, ” said Dungtu, who stays at the National Pension and Provident Fund colony in the capital.

Dungtu said doing so will not only help cut down fuel expenses but ease traffic and parking congestion and reduce pollution. He said he has not initiated but he is planning to come up with these kinds of methods.

Dungtu’s feelings are shared by many others. They are also feeling the pinch. They said the best alternative to using private cars would be to use public transport service.

Meanwhile, taxi drivers said the fuel price hike has affected their business. They said it is difficult to get passengers with more people using the city bus service.

With the hike in fuel price affecting the income of car users, many are also of the opinion that on many occasions driving is not always the preferred option, if it is matter of short walk.

Dechen, the Manager of Drugyal Automobile Workshop said there are many ways to reduce fuel consumption. To ensure maximum gains, it is important to change mobile and fuel filter in time. The clutch system, engine tuning, air filters, carburetors are some of the areas that play a role in economizing fuel.

If necessity is the mother of invention, the increase in the fuel price is indeed making many Bhutanese car owners to change gears in an effort to save resources and be mobile at the same time. Source: BBS