Global Cities Relearn an Old Lesson: How to Weather an Oil Shock
Past energy shortages triggered gas-saving policy changes and a surge of ridership — and funding — for public transit. What will this oil crisis bring?
A gas station attendant in New Delhi fills the tank of a customer’s motorcycle in March.
Photographer: Amarjeet kumar Singh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.
As the great oil shock of 2026 enters its fifth week, cities around the world have met the prospect of an extended period of higher fuel prices with a diverse mix of measures.
In Melbourne, for example, fares for trains, buses and trams have been temporarily suspended to “take pressure off the pump and more cars off the road,” said Jacinta Allan, premier of the Australian state of Victoria, in a public announcement. Bangkok’s ferryboat operators, on the other hand, have raised fares to reflect the skyrocketing price of diesel fuel; so have bus companies in Rawalpindi. Both Pakistan and Thailand rely heavily on oil imported from the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed to shipping since the US-Israeli war with Iran began.