NECO002
Economics Transport Fares
Transport fares to go up by 19 per cent from Saturday
By Edward Acquah, GNA
Accra-Ghana, Oct. 26, GNA- The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) is expected to announce a 19 per cent increment in transport fares effective Saturday, October 29, 2022.
The rate was agreed at a meeting between transport operators and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday.
Mr Richard Yaw Amankwah, Deputy General Secretary in Charge of Operations, GPRTU, told the Ghana News Agency that the new fares would be announced either today (Wednesday) or tomorrow (Thursday).
“We are doing our calculations and once we are done, we will officially announce the new fares today or tomorrow” he said.
Meanwhile some commercial drivers are already implementing a 20 per cent increment in fares ahead of the GPRTU’s official announcement.
Some passengers, who said they initially paid GHS4.50 as transport fares were charged GHS 5.50, representing about 22 per cent increment on Wednesday morning.
Mr Amankwah said the GPRTU had taken note of the situation, saying: “it is because the new fares is long overdue.”
“We know the mechanisms to put in place to stop that. Once we announce the new rate, the drivers will comply,” he said.
Ahead of the transport operators meeting with the President on Tuesday, the GPRTU aside proposing a 30 per cent increment in fares, also demanded an automatic adjustment in fares anytime fuel prices shot up.
Mr Amankwah said the President assured the operators that “fuel prices would be hedged”, to avoid further increment.
Currently petrol and diesel are selling at an average GHS13.10 and GHS15.99 respectively.
