PATRONS OF commercial transport should prepare to pay 15 per cent more of their current fare as transport operators have announced an upward adjustment beginning Saturday, February 26, 2022.
The increment will affect shared taxis, public buses popularly known as ‘trotro’, and intercity transport.
“After lengthy deliberations and discussions, the conclusion was that transport operators have been given 15 per cent upward adjustment of transport fares, and the agreement is that this increment is taking effect right from Saturday, February 26, 2022,” a member of the Communication Team of the Ghana Private Roads Transport Union (GPRTU), Samuel Amoah said.
The announcement follows the conclusion of negotiations on the percentage increase with stakeholders after a marathon meeting earlier this week.
The drivers indicated that the hike has been necessitated by the increase in the price of fuel and the economic hardship the country is going through, which has affected their work.
Mr. Amoah urged the public to cooperate with the drivers to implement the new charges successfully.
“We are urging all commuters to go strictly by this directive from the ministry and the transport operators. Currently, the approved transport fare is the one with the 15 per cent increase because that is what we have agreed upon,” he said.
The transport unions proposed a 30 per cent upward adjustment, but after a meeting with stakeholders, they agreed to reduce by 15 per cent.
Over the past few weeks, there has been a consistent increase in the price of fuel at the pumps, a situation many drivers have described as insensitive.
In a related development, some commercial transport operators have vowed to charge beyond the 15 per cent upward adjustment because they believe it is inadequate.
The Committed Drivers Association, the National Concerned Drivers Association and the True Drivers Union are insisting on a 30 per cent hike despite the new fares announced jointly by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) after a series of meetings and consultations with the Ministry of Transport.
Charles Danso, Chairman of the Committed Drivers Association, said the 15 per cent could not address the increase in fuel prices and other costs incurred by drivers.
According to him, they were independent and not bound by decisions taken by the GPRTU and the GRTCC hence, “We will take 30%.”
The drivers have been pushing for fare increments for several months due to the rising fuel cost and other products.
Reasons they gave included the high import duty on vehicles, an increase in the cost of spare parts and vehicle lubricants.
The Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy (PSRL), it would be recalled, was suspended from November 2021 to the end of January 2022 by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA). This has also been reintroduced increasing the cost build-up.
Fuel prices have gone up by at least 50 pesewas per litre at the pumps since February 1, 2022. Petrol and diesel are currently being sold at an average GH₵7.8, inching closer to GH₵8.
The hike has been blamed on the rising cost of Brent crude on the international market, with some analysts projecting that fuel prices could hit GH₵8.0 per litre by March this year if the situation on the world market persisted.
A little over a month ago, drivers embarked on a nationwide strike over fuel prices and returned to work only after an intervention by the government.
BY Jamila Akweley Okertchiri