SOME TRANSPORT operators in Accra have appealed to government to review upwards the 15 pesewas fuel price reduction it announced recently.
According to them, the 15 pesewas is nothing to write home about given the present global challenges posed partly by rising oil prices since January this year.
The operators said the 15 pesewas reduction does not correspond with the continual rise in the prices of fuel over the last three months.
Speaking to the DAILY GUIDE Saturday, some officials of the STC Terminal at the Circle Station indicated that though they were aware of the reduction in fuel prices at the pump effective April 1, they could only comment after the reduction takes effect.
According to them, transport fares to all destinations had increased as a result of the rising cost of fuel at the pumps.
DAILY GUIDE observed that the STC had increased its fares to all the regions. The transport fare from Accra to Cape Coast, prior to the fuel price increment, was GH¢42.00 but is now GH¢48.00. The fare to Tamale, which was GH¢135.00 is now GH¢178.00, while the fare to Nalerigu, which was GH₵168.00, is now GH₵178.00. The fare to Berekum, which was GH₵82.00, is now GH₵90.00.
General Manager of VIP Transport, Ernest Adakabre Frimpong Manso, for his part, said VIP only increased its fares last month after the previous increase in June 2021.
According to him, though the drivers expected about GH¢1.00 reduction to mitigate their expense on fuel due to the rising prices of fuel at the pumps, they would acknowledge the 15 pesewas reduction and await the impact of the reduction in April.
A staff of RG Transport Company, Abubakari Shanunu, who spoke on behalf of the station manager, expressed his frustration over the continuous increase in the prices of fuel in Ghana.
“We pay about GH¢6,000.00 for fuel from Accra to the North, and how much are you getting after the journey. We use to charge GH¢110.00 but we have to charge GH¢140.00 for normal bus fare and GH¢150.00 for executive bus fare to Bolga now. Another headache for us here is that because commuters cannot afford to pay transport fares these days, they have left most of their luggage here.”
Station Manager at OA Transport at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Joseph Appiah Agyei, for his part, said government could do a lot more to address the economic challenges facing Ghanaians if fuel coupons provided for government officials were reduced more than 50% as announced.
“Look at the fuel that is wasted by government officials and you only come back and reduce fuel by 15 pesewas for those of us who buy, this shows that government is not thinking about the ordinary Ghanaian,” he posited.
CEO of Sungtaaba Transport Company, Chief Mohammed Sungtaaba, told the DAILY GUIDE that he expected the government to reduce the prices of fuel at the pumps more than 15 pesewas considering the continual rise in the level of fuel prices from the beginning of the year.
BY Ebenezer K. Amponsah