GPRTU Denies 30% Fare Increment

Commercial vehicle users can heave a sigh of relief at least for now, as leadership of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRU) has denied that transport fares would be increased by 30 percent effective Thursday, March 7, 2024.

According to the Union, it is yet to meet the Transport Ministry for negotiation on the way forward on the matter.

The Union, however, said it has started putting together the necessary data that would help in the negotiation when they finally meet with officials at the transport ministry.

In a Joy News report monitored by The Anchor, leadership of the GPRTU, asked the public to disregard the said media reports from rival transport groups until such a time that they meet its supervisory Ministry and reach an amicable agreement.

The clarification comes on the back of report that two groups, Transport Operators Union and the Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana, have jointly announced a 30 per cent hike in transport fares, effective Thursday.

The Industrial Relations Officer at GPRTU, Abbas Ibrahim Moro, in a separate interview with TV3, said the constant calls for increment in lorry fares discourages passengers from patronizing them.

He said, if operators had their way, they would have forced government to reduce prices so that the fares can come down.

“If we come up with upwards adjustment of lorry fares if we are not careful the passengers that patronize our daily business will even withdraw. So, if we have our way then we will have to look for a way to force government to reduce fuel prices”, Abas Ibrahim Moro of the Union said this

Meanwhile, in a press release issued on Monday, March 4, the two organizations 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.

Describing the fare adjustment as essential for business sustainability, they called on the government to engage with their leaders to facilitate a smooth implementation of the fare adjustments.

“The fare adjustments are essential to ensure the financial viability of the transportation sector and to maintain the quality of service provided to the public.

“The failure of the government to address this critical issue has left us with no choice but to consider fare increments as a means of coping with the escalating operational costs.”

“We are calling on the government and relevant authorities to engage in constructive dialogue with our leaders to address the challenges faced by our sector and to implement fare adjustments that reflect the current economic realities,” they said in a statement.

In January, transport operators threatened increment, following a decision by the government to introduce the controversial Emission Tax on drivers. The policy which was widely kicked against led to suspension by the Finance Ministry.

This, therefore made it impossible for the drivers to go ahead with their threat.

But following the significant increment in fuel prices at the pump, the call for transport fare increments, has been brought back to the front burner again.

Some industry watchers, have attributed the constant increase in adjustment of fuel to the depreciation of the Cedi.

Source: Anchorghana.com