The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has suspended plans to increase transport fares by 30% after the government reduced the price of diesel by GH¢2.
The union says the reduction has given commercial drivers temporary relief, but it will monitor fuel prices over the coming weeks before deciding whether the planned fare adjustment is still necessary.
Transport fares will remain unchanged for now. However, the GPRTU has warned that a significant rise in fuel prices during the next pricing reviews could lead it to reconsider the decision.
The union had been preparing to raise fares because of increasing operating costs, with fuel prices a particular concern. Diesel had been selling for between GH¢17 and GH¢18 per litre, while petrol prices ranged from GH¢14 to GH¢15 per litre.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, August 4, GPRTU Deputy Public Relations Officer Samuel Amoah said the government’s intervention had prevented diesel from reaching almost GH¢20 per litre.
“This announcement of a two-cedi reduction on the diesel price, first, we appreciate what the President has done. Had it not been this intervention, it means that we were going to buy diesel at almost GH¢20 a litre,” he said.
Mr Amoah said the union had initially considered a fare increase when fuel prices reached those levels. The proposed adjustment was later put on hold following discussions with the Ministry of Transport.
He said the ministry had assured the GPRTU that measures were being introduced to bring down fuel prices and tackle other difficulties affecting commercial drivers.
However, the union was disappointed when prices increased during the following pricing window instead of falling as it had expected.
“We are not saying that what the President has done, we don’t appreciate. We appreciate it very well. But it has again come back to the state where it was that we decided to do our increment,” he stated.
The latest decision to suspend the fare increase reflects the GPRTU’s uncertainty about how long the diesel reduction will last. Mr Amoah said the current intervention was temporary and that its longer-term effect could not yet be determined.
“We need to understand that this intervention is taking from this time to about a month. And after that month, we don’t know what will happen,” he said.
He confirmed that the union would assess the outcome of two fuel price reviews scheduled for August before making a final decision on fares.
The first review will take place in the middle of the month, with the second coming later in August.
“We are holding on to see the middle of the month, the fuel price, the current price, what we see there. Then the last one too,” he added.
The GPRTU’s planned 30% increase had been linked to the pressure created by rising fuel costs and other operating challenges. For the time being, commuters will not face higher fares as a result of the suspended proposal.
The union, however, maintains that any renewed increase in fuel prices over the coming weeks could force it to revisit the issue and introduce a fare adjustment.
