The General Secretary of the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC), Emmanuel Ohene Yeboah, has revealed that the Ghana Road Transport Union (GPRTU) erred in its increase of transportation fares in the country.

Mr Yeboah revealed that despite the action of the GPRTU being justified, their approach to increasing transport fare was wrong. He noted that apart from the fact that the 20% increment being on the high side, the Union also failed to go through due process as has been done over the years prior to announcing their price increments.

“In this instance I think they erred. Since 2001 this system of meeting with the Transport Ministry and the other stakeholders has been the mode of increasing our fares. The GPRTU should come and meet, when we meet it means even with that 20% we can find a better way of bringing it out to the public so that it doesn’t create confusion.”
Emmanuel Ohene Yeboah

Mr Yeboah iterated that there is a “justification for the increase, there’s no two ways about that”. However the approach is what the Council is complaining about. He questioned that if there is a standing convention that transport operators have used over the years and it is working for them without complaint, why would the Union move from the “convention without reference to other parties on the same platform“?

“ I don’t think it is fair. Why am I saying so? You see the fuel constitutes about a third of the total operational cost… When we do the calculation, we add spare parts and all that. Yes we do that, but we only do that once a year, sometimes twice a year.”
Emmanuel Ohene Yeboah

The General Secretary of GRTCC expressed that the inclusion of spare parts as a component for the increase in transport fares by the GPRTU is usually done at the beginning of a year, and “maybe midyear and maybe the close of the year”.

“But the actual fare increase is based on the third. So, a third gives you about 15 or 17%. So definitely, 20% is on the higher side.”
Emmanuel Ohene Yeboah

Transport fares increment long overdue

Meanwhile, spokesperson of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, Abbas Imoro, revealed that the 20% increment of transport fares across the country was long overdue. He indicated that the recent hike in petroleum prices and the increasing cost of living had necessitated the action by the Union.

Mr Imoro noted that it was only fair that commercial drivers who had over the period borne much of the financial burden be relieved with the increment of fares. He lamented that government had done very little to engage the Union despite frantic letters written to them to discuss the way forward on the increasing nature of fuel in the country.

“If you look at managerial decisions or the way the system works, they could have at least acknowledged receipt of that letter, but behind the letter we’ve been communicating with them, trying to make sure we sit and solve that problem because we felt it was even overdue for us to come up with an upward adjustment, and each time we agree on a date and time then it’s being postponed.”
Abbas Imoro