Adani CNG’s price in Ahmedabad has risen by ₹4.45 per kg to ₹98.47, placing fresh pressure on auto-rickshaw drivers who say their daily earnings are already being eroded by fuel and household costs ahead of Diwali.
The increase was reported as a one-day revision, after the price had already been raised by ₹4 per kg in August 2026. The latest change takes the retail rate from ₹94.02 per kg to ₹98.47 per kg, according to Divya Bhaskar’s report. Auto drivers said the effective cost is close to ₹100 per kg because small cash balances are not always returned through fuel dispensing systems.
The Ahmedabad Rickshaw Drivers’ Unity Union has opposed the increase. Drivers told the publication that the higher CNG cost would leave less money for food and family expenses during the festival season. Chhanabhai Nayak said drivers earned only ₹200 to ₹300 a day and that the increase made it difficult to buy sweets, firecrackers and clothes for their families.
Driver Jayantibhai Thakor said repeated increases in CNG prices had made it harder to manage household expenses. He also said drivers could not simply raise passenger fares to recover the additional fuel cost because passengers were unwilling to pay more. The union has therefore asked for a reduction in CNG prices rather than a hike in auto-rickshaw fares.
Vijay Makwana, president of the Ahmedabad Rickshaw Drivers’ Unity Union, said the increase would have a direct impact on drivers who earn and spend on a daily basis. He called for a reduction in the gas price and said that repeated increases had created pressure across the cost of living. The union’s position places the immediate burden of the price change on the operating economics of Ahmedabad’s informal, point-to-point transport network.
The dispute follows earlier disagreements over auto-rickshaw fares. The report said drivers had previously sought fare revisions after CNG prices increased, but that the increase permitted after a meeting with the transport commissioner did not meet their expectations. Drivers also protested that online applications had not revised fares in line with fuel costs. According to the report, they later boycotted online platforms other than Bharat Taxi while continuing to provide rides.
The price increase also comes as Adani Total Gas has reported stronger quarterly financial results. The company recorded a profit of ₹173 crore in the second quarter, compared with ₹163 crore in the same period last year, an increase of about 5.9 per cent. Its revenue rose 34 per cent to ₹2,109 crore from ₹1,576 crore, with the company’s earnings growth attributed in the report to higher demand for CNG and piped natural gas used for household cooking.
The immediate issue for Ahmedabad’s auto drivers remains whether fares, fuel prices or regulatory measures will change after the latest revision. The union has asked the government to intervene on CNG prices, while drivers continue to face the gap between higher operating costs and fares that they say passengers are unwilling to accept.
