The Ministry of Transport has asked the public to ignore a 20% increase in fares nationwide announced by commercial and private transport operators.
A statement issued yesterday by the ministry’s public relations office in Accra said there had been no negotiations with transport operators to adjust current fares.
“If such negotiations become necessary and a decision is made, the public will, as always, be adequately informed,” the ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said it will continue to ensure fair and reasonable public transport fares, keeping in mind the needs of transport operators and the public.
The ministry’s statement was in response to the announcement by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) that the decision to increase fares was taken at a national management meeting held on Tuesday.
The union said the new freight rates, which will come into effect on Wednesday, were necessary because excessive taxes on spare parts had adversely affected the company’s operations due to price hikes.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Transport Alhassan Tanpuri Slemana announced that he would work with transport operators to discuss the proposed fare increase.
He said the process of discussing fare increases is part of an ongoing arrangement between the government and transport operators, and that during these discussions there will be a review of the potential for fare increases, including the impact on truck costs. He explained that all factors were considered. fare.
“Normally you would bring all these things and we will look at them realistically. Is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) actually charging new fees? As far as I know, no. Has a tax been introduced? As far as we are concerned, no tax has been introduced yet,” he told Joy News yesterday.
“If you put all this together, it’s even possible that the fares could be more than 20 percent higher. Is it possible that they could be less than 20 percent? Let’s have a conversation. This is not difficult,” he said.
However, GPRTU general secretary Godfred Aboulbile revealed that the union had submitted a petition to parliament in November last year.
“We didn’t talk about other taxes, but we talked about these two components that we heard about. We also have that available on the website and before filing the petition. I have printed it and the Minister says it should be submitted to Parliament through a petition as usual.”
by Times reporter