Transport Fares To Go Up By 30% – GPRTU

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has warned that there would be an increment in public transport fares between 25% and 30% following another expected increase in petrol and diesel prices.

The Union’s Deputy Public Relations Officer, Samuel Amoah in an interview said, the latest fuel price movement could make a review of fares increasingly difficult to avoid.

He explained that although the final figure has not been agreed, the increase could settle between 25% and 30%, adding that, there is an ongoing discussion with government.

He noted. “We had that information that the fuel price is likely to go up, hopefully by tomorrow. We also did one or two searches, and we got information that it is true. It’s not just hearsay. So if this increment is also coming, then it means that the possibility of increasing transport fare is going to be very high.

“Let’s see, if even it will come down, it won’t come down below maybe 25%. We will not come out like maybe today and say we have agreed and say tomorrow is taking effect. No, we will not do that. Most of the time we do give some grace period for them to get prepared before it will take effect. So passengers should actually prepare themselves for an increment.”

The latest development follows an announcement by the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) of significant increases in the prices of petrol, diesel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at fuel stations from Wednesday, September 16.

According to COPEC, petrol is expected to increase by 4.24 per cent, while diesel could record a sharper 10.23 per cent rise during the second pricing window of September.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of GOIL, Edward Bawa says rising fuel prices alone cannot justify the Ghana Private Road Transport Union’s (GPRTU) proposed 30% increase in transport fares.

“We will get there. We’re still looking, or we’re still studying the various scenarios, still looking at what we should do, but what I can assure Ghanaians is that we will always want to be on their side. Prices going up does not necessarily mean that at the pumps it will go up. It again depends on what strategy you are using. So GOIL will definitely find a way of trying to tame the market” he said.

Mr Bawa said GPRTU’s assessment of transport fares should go beyond fuel prices.

He added, “I understand GPRTU as a union body that the parameters considered in lorry fares are not only fuel. There is also the issue of the exchange rate because of spare parts. There’s an issue of insurance and all other things that come into it.”