AN ATTEMPT by some driver unions to maliciously increase public transport fares without the consent of the main union, Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC), who, per the administrative arrangement, have the mandate to negotiate public transport fares on behalf of all driver unions, has hit a snag.
The GPRTU, together with some driver unions, met on Monday, July 11, 2022, to discuss the way forward for their business in the midst of the challenges confronting the country.
At the said meeting, one key issue, the re-introduction of toll booth levy, came up for thorough discussion.
However, moments after the said meeting, some driver unions, notably, True Drivers Union, Ghana Committed Drivers Union, and Concerned Drivers Union, issued statements purporting to trigger an increase in public transport fares.
Following the public statements, the GPRTU and the Ghana Committed Drivers Association disclosed that they are not in harmony with the plans by these driver unions.
In a joint statement issued in Accra Wednesday, the GPRTU and the GRTCC described as malicious, plans by the True Drivers Union, Concerned Drivers Union, and the Ghana Committed Drivers Association, to increase public transport fares.
The Ghana Committed Drivers Association also in a statement issued on Wednesday, condemned that action of the driver unions and distanced themselves from any purported plan to increase public fares.
According to the GPRTU, GRTCC and the Ghana Committed Drivers Association, the intended action by the driver unions is not only targeted at creating disaffection within the driver unions and or transport operators, but confusion among the general public.
“For the records, we, Ghana Committed Drivers Association work hand-in-hand with the GPRTU, and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC), the only recognised mandated bodies, to negotiate public transport fares on behalf of all transport unions, to increase public transport fares or otherwise. We, therefore, urge the general public to treat any purported talks or plans to increase transport fares with the contempt that it deserves,” noted the Chairman of the Ghana Committed Drivers Association, Charles Danso, in a statement issued on Wednesday, July 13, 2022.
The GPRTU and GRTCC, also in a joint statement signed by the GPRTU General Secretary, Godfred Abulbire, and released in Accra on Wednesday, said “we want to state without any equivocation and again in unambiguous terms that not only is the statement a palpable false but also malicious and targeted to increase disaffection and confusion within the driver unions. We urge the various driver unions, the commuting and the general public to disregard any such statement and treat it with the contempt that it deserves.”