Nene Tetteh Asigbey III, the Chairman of the Ada Branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), has appealed to drivers who are charging unapproved fares to desist from the act.
He urged the drivers to hold on with the fare increment while they awaited the final decision from their transport unions.
Nene Asigbey was reacting to the Ministry of Transport’s call to the Ghana Police Service and other law enforcement agencies to monitor commercial drivers who violate the GPRTU and Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council’s directive regarding fare increments.
Since the drivers in Ada were also members of the GPRTU, they must obey the directive to prevent any confusion, Nene Asigbey said.
“I’m appealing to my drivers to abide by the law; we met with the ministry, and an approved fee will soon be announced. If you cannot have patience and you go ahead and charge your own fare, you may be in police custody for not exercising restraint,” he cautioned.
Though the chairperson admitted the hike in fuel price, he was optimistic that the approved adjustment would reflect the current fuel and spare part costs.
Two transport unions, the Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana and the Transport Operators of Ghana, announced in a joint statement on Monday, April 8, of a 30 per cent increase in transport fares, effective Saturday, April 13, 2024.
The move, they said, was to make up for the recent increment in petroleum prices.
In contrast, the GPRTU and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council, in a joint statement signed by their general secretaries, Godfred Abulbire and Emmanuel Ohene Yeboah, respectively, urged commuters to disregard the ‘illegal’ increment in transport fares and pay the old fares.
GNA
LS/LKA/ABD
17 April 2024
