A group known as the Concerned Drivers Association has indicated that it will increase transport fares by 40 percent, effective Monday, May 10, 2021.
According to them, their resolve to increase the fares holds, despite the government’s announcement of a reduction in the price of fuel by eight pesewas per litre.
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA), after a meeting with stakeholders on Tuesday reduced the 17-pesewa margin on the prices of petroleum products to nine pesewas.
But the Spokesperson for the Concerned Drivers Association, David Agboado, says fares will still go up.
He indicated that they considered various factors, including the anticipation of a general increase in the cost of fuel in the coming weeks on the world market.
“The OMCs have their own margin that they will bring out later because we know that the world market will be shooting up from today to the 15th. The first window will come out and when it does, it will be more than that 27 cedis so based on that, we’ll stick with the 40% we want to take. It will take effect on Monday,” he said.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) says it will take a final decision on the percentage increase for transport fares after a meeting with the sector ministry. The General Secretary of GPRTU, Godfred Abulbira Adogma, had earlier said that the fare increment will be between 15% and 20%.
He indicated that the Union had already planned to increase its fares following the approval of the 2021 budget but had to hold on due to the coming into force of new fuel price tariffs on May 1, 2021 to enable them to factor it into their new transport fares.
“Our arguments does not depend on only fuel prices alone, before the budget was laid before parliament we were even agitating for lorry fare adjustments and we were waiting for the budget to be approved before we looked at the components inside the budget that affects the running costs of the vehicle,” he said.
Many passengers anticipated that transport fares in the country will increase immediately after the government’s new tariffs, including a 30-pesewa spike in petroleum products, kick in on Saturday, May 1, 2021.
An increase in transport fares is most likely to also affect the general cost of goods and services in the country.
