Ghanaians started paying for more transportation as the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) increased fares by 19% on Saturday, October 29, 2022. The move, according to the union, was necessitated by the continuous soaring of prices of petroleum products at the various fuel pumps. On Monday, October 31, 2022, the union again increased the price of transportation by 16%, making it a 35% increment within a space of 3 days.
VIP JEOUN announced new transport fares for the travelling public on Monday, October 24. They again increased the fears within a few weeks of this increment.
The fare from Accra- Kumasi which used to be GH¢85 was moved to GH¢100 and is now GH¢120, while Accra-Sunyani now cost GH¢150 cedis. Also, people moving from Accra to Tamale were paying GH¢180 but is now GH¢260.
On Wednesday, there were speculation of a possible reduction in the prices of fuel and Adom TV interviewed the Deputy PRO of GPRTU. Speaking on the Big Agenda on Adom TV, the Deputy PRO of GPRTU, Samuel Amoah on Wednesday, November 29, 2022, stated that they are not obliged to reduce the cost of transportation because the price of fuel has reduced. He further added that the prices of transportation are not determined by fuel alone as petrol forms only 30% of the determiners. The PRO stated that they will go back to the drawing board and see if something can be done about the fuel prices but Ghanaians should not be expectant.
The True Drivers Union’s Public Relations Officer, Yaw Barimah, also stated that there is no justification for a reduction in the cost of transportation. He further stated that the current transportation fares would remain unchanged despite the reduction in fuel prices. He further stated that the reduction in petroleum price does not have much change in their cost of doing business.
It remains unclear if the transport operators will want to reduce fares following the latest fuel price reduction. What is clear, however, is that the suffering of Ghanaians continues to get worse by the day due to these increments in the prices of transportation, which is having an effect in the prices of goods and services as their earnings remain the same.
What This Means For The Ghanaian
Ghanaians are greatly affected by this hike in transportation costs. The impact of high transportation fares has extended to families, as they have less money to buy food or other essentials they need. Higher transportation fares have a domino effect that trickles down throughout society and have an overall negative impact on the economy and well-being of Ghanaians. In the coming months, most people’s savings will go towards buying fuel for their cars and trucks, which could lead to difficulties in purchasing food. Rural areas may feel this pressure even more acutely as the transportation cost of goods increases for these areas as a result of these changes. The cost of transportation, in general, is likely to increase, and citizens must extend their budgets to meet up with these hikes.
The government must step in and force transportation operators in the country to reduce the cost of transportation, as Ghanaians are really affected. The 35% increment in the cost of transportation was due to the hike in fuel prices. The GPRTU made it emphatically clear when they were increasing the transportation fares. Now they are making a U-turn since they stand at the winning end neglecting the woes of the ordinary Ghanaians.
Adam Ibrahim
Adam is passionate about politics and issues that affect governance. As a writer, he channels his energies into writing on pertinent national and political issues for the good of the Ghanaian people.
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