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Throughout the weekend, commercial transportation providers all over the nation raised transportation fares by 20%.
This came after the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) had previously announced that the operators would be permitted to raise transportation prices.
Some passengers contacted by the Ghanaian Times yesterday claimed that fares had increased by nearly 20%. One of the passengers, Kojo Manu, stated that Teiman to Circle had increased from GH6 to GH8.50 from Teiman to Kaneshie, which had previously cost GH7. Another passenger, Lawrence, reported that the ticket from Teiman to Abokobi jumped from GH1.70 to GH2.50 while the fare from Madina to Circle increased from GH5.50 to GH6.50. Similar complaints were collected from several travelers who traveled the Accra-Nungua and Circle-Kasoa routes.
On the Circle-Spintex, Accra-Nsawam, and Tema-Afienya to Accra routes, several carriers were yet to raise their fares. Godfred Ablubire, the general secretary of the GPRTU, confirmed the development and stated that the increase was required due to rising fuel prices as well as those of other important components like spare parts and lubricants. He outlined how the recent increase in fuel prices from GH10.80p at the pump to GH11.40p had severely impacted the operators. He said that after numerous attempts by the Union to meet with other parties, including the Ministry of Transport, to achieve an understanding on the topic, failed, the Union was forced to apply the fare change. "We had already agreed with the government in March that there will be a proportional increase in transport fares should fuel costs grow again by 10% or more. All of our attempts to implement that agreement, however, have been unsuccessful when it occurred in March and the first week of May. As a result, we asked our members to revise their fees by 20%, Mr. Ablubire continued.
He warned that if the fare rise was not put into effect right away, transportation companies stood the risk of going out of business. "Petroleum products, which make up the majority of what we require to run our firm, are now costing more, along with spare parts and other lubricants. If we don't take action right away, we risk going out of business, he continued. The Union requested that the government abolish taxes on petroleum goods, but was told that the nation could not afford to lose GH4 billion in revenue, according to the General Secretary. He said that because the issue was hurting the Union's members' businesses, they couldn't wait any longer and the fare increase had been authorized. Although the Union was aware of the current economic difficulties, Mr. Ablubire argued that the increase was vital to prevent the transportation industry from going under. He pleaded for support from the traveling public. The Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) had stated that it had not yet spoken with the GPRTU or any other organisation about any issue involving a rise in transportation costs. According to Emmanuel Ohene Yeboah, general secretary of the GRTCC, the Council is not aware of any request by the GPRTU to raise transportation costs by 20%. He clarified that prior to any announcement of an increase in transportation costs, it had been customary for the Union to consult with the GRTCC and the Transport Ministry.
