While rents in Tehran and its suburbs have risen by more than 50 percent, according to the central bank, official reports from the capital suggest that some people are forced to sleep in high-speed buses at nights.
According to state-run Tejarat News website, homeless Iranian men have taken to sleeping in Tehran buses for 12-25k tomans (under$1) a night.
The report said they have to change five buses during the night and can not even get a good night’s rest.
According to the report, most of these people have jobs but their salaries aren’t enough for rent. They have to change busses every 45 minutes. Even children are seen sleeping on busses at night.
A video of Iranians sleeping in Tehran’s buses has been shared on social media.
Reacting to the news on Wednesday evening, the CEO of the bus company said, “We have seen addicts sleeping on the bus in the past, but these new people look good and have ticket cards to get on the bus.”
In an interview with ILNA, Mahmoud Tarfa said that the bus driver could not distinguish the passenger from those who sleep in the bus, and “of course, according to bus protocols, all passengers must get off the bus at the end of the line.”
Iran’s housing problem, Iranians living on rooftops
Housing is one of the main and influential indicators in the economic growth of societies. Reports show that among different industries, the construction industry can be considered as Iran’s primary industry since construction has been the most efficient and fluctuating industry in the last forty years of Iran.
In the past years, housing prices have skyrocketed unbelievably and are now a major problem for Iranians, especially in the capital Tehran. Statistics show that people in Tehran spend 50-60% of their expenses on housing costs alone.
As housing was added to the stock market, fluctuations have affected the housing prices and rent, and lower-income parts of the society can no longer afford to pay rent. Some have resorted to renting homes shared with another family or renting rooftops.
On November 9, Naser Amani, a member of Tehran’s City Council said it has been 50 years that residential documents have not been updated. He added that people are renting out rooftops, basements, backyards, and even sharing homes.
