Western GPRTU suspends fare increase

The Western regional branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has suspended a planned increment in transport fares in the region.

The suspension comes after the GPRTU’s national body issued an order to all its regional branches to maintain current transport fares.

Executives from the branch announced a 30 per cent upward adjustment over the weekend to shoulder ballooning expenses in fuel and maintenance cost borne by drivers despite an initial directive to wait.

Speaking on JoyFM’s Midday, the National Chairman of the GPRTU, Nana Nimako Bresiama, confirmed that the current fares remain in effect, until a decision is taken by the national body.

“The transporters are meeting this evening. I have stopped them immediately. We are taking the old fares until further notice so we are meeting on Wednesday. After Wednesday, we will give them the new prices,” he said.

The Public Relations Officer for the Western Region GPRTU, Portia Nana Yaa Owusu says there was an impending increment of 30% which was supposed to take effect on Monday, April 8, 2024.

She explained that they received instructions from the national secretariat not to proceed with the planned 30% increase in fares.

According to the PRO, an emergency meeting has been scheduled to discuss the situation and that the national secretariat will be briefed on the outcome of the meeting.

In addition, she stated that, there will surely be an increase in the transport fares.

“However, we are making it clear that the increment will come on. Since the day hasn’t closed yet, definitely we will increase it but we are waiting for the national secretariat after the meeting.”

Background

The Transport Operators Union and the Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana have jointly announced a 30 per cent hike in transport fares, effective Thursday, March 7.

In a press release issued on Monday, March 4, the two organisations attributed the fare increase to the government’s failure to address their concerns adequately.

They highlighted the continuous surge in fuel prices, which has significantly impacted their livelihoods and made it challenging to sustain their operations.