Check details: GPRTU unilaterally increases fares by 20%

The new lorry tariffs announced on Saturday, October 29th, 2022, have been unilaterally increased by 20% by the Ghana Road Transport Union (GPRTU).

On Wednesday, November 2, 2022, this raise became official nationwide. This quickly added up to the 40% increase that the Concerned Drivers Association had in mind for October 2022.

Some passengers claim that “following the fare rise on Saturday, places, where drivers increased by 50 pesewas to the previously amount, another 50 pesewas has been added to the fare” as of yesterday.

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Once more, people who were affected by GH1 have now been affected by GH2. This means that instead of being GH6, Kwame Nkrumah Circle to Santa Maria is now GH8.

According to Mr. Samuel Amoah, Public Relations Officer for the Ghana Road Transport Union (GPRTU), if the government fails to stabilize the country’s fuel costs, the union would always be allowed to raise the fares without getting the government’s approval.

Yesterday, this ignorant escalation greatly agitated both drivers and passengers.

The increase in gasoline prices, the expense of maintenance, and other factors, according to Mr. Amoah, were the main causes of yesterday’s 20% surprise increase.

As of November 3, gasoline was priced at GH17.99 per litre, kerosene was GH14.70, and diesel was GH23.49 at the pump.

Some Ashanti Region drivers were forced to leave their cars in parking lots today in protest of fuel price increases.

The PRO of the GPRTU has stated that a statewide strike over the difficulties they are having as transport operators is imminent if caution is not taken.

He continued, “Passengers occasionally fail to pay the fare increase, which makes their job challenging.

He stated that “it is not the intention of the GPRTU to always declare fee increments, but the current scenario in terms of fuel increment and inflation on spare parts has also prompted them to operate in a way that may be perceived as “inhumane” by others.

On November 3, 2023, in the early morning hours of Thursday, he revealed this in an interview that the Ghana Report watched on Joy News.

Some of the drivers at Kasoa Krispol Junction were interviewed, and they expressed concern about this sudden increase.

They have complied with management to also increase the fare by 20%.

Below are the former and the current price lists for the people of Kasoa Opeikuma Junction.

GPRTU is therefore calling on the government to address with urgency the matter at hand concerning the continuous hikes in fuel prices in the country to prevent the back-and-forth increment in fares.