Minister demands reduction in transport fares

Minister of Petroleum Emmanuel Kofi-Armah Buah has described as unfair to the people of Ghana the seeming nonchalance of stakeholders in the transport sector to tweak fares to correspond with decreased fuel prices.

“It is really unfair to the people of Ghana that anytime we had increased petroleum price, there was a call for increase in transport fares,” he said on TV3’s News 360 on Wednesday.

“Yet we have seen almost over 35 per cent decrease in fuel prices [which] has not been matched by transport fares reduction and this is really not fair to the people of Ghana.”

Mr Buah, who is also Member of Parliament for Ellembelle Constituency, therefore, appealed to the stakeholders especially the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to reduce fares to reflect the current prices of fuel.

“I am calling on the GPRTU and others to make sure that they make this reflect in transport fares.”

Transport fares are expected to be reviewed by the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council in January as per its regulation to do so semi-annually.

It is not yet known whether the Council will incorporate the Petroleum Minister’s suggestion or maintain the fares or, still, increase them.