Transport fares up effective Monday

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council have increased transport fares expected to take effect from Monday June 22.

The decision was reached after a meeting with the Ministry of Transport.

The transport operators say the increase became necessary following the high cost of fuel, high cost of spare parts and other services.

Petrol prices has since the May increase gone up further by 4% this June. Petrol which was increased from Ghc13.70.00 to Ghc15.00 in May 2015 has since been increased in June.

Unlike previous times when commercial drivers arbitrarily increase fares immediately fuel prices go up, there now appears to be sanity.

Stakeholders in the transport sector have improved dialogue to agree on the fare increases.

The last time transport fares went up was in January this year. The unions have agreed with government to increase fares twice in a year.

The list of new fares as released by the GRTCC and the GPRTU, puts the fares in three categories of transport. They are intra-city (Trotro), Inter-city (Long Distance) and taxicabs.

For instance, a taxi that charges Ghc2.00 for a particular distance will not charge Ghc2.30 pesewas; a trotro that charges Ghc1.00 will now charge Ghc1.10 pesewas, but a trotro that charges Ghc1.20pesewas will now charge Ghc1.40pesewas. The same trotro which charges Ghc3.50pesewas can now charge Ghc4.00 cedis.

In the long distance category, a bus that charges Ghc20.30pesewas will not charge Ghc23.40pesewas.

The transport unions have asked operators to comply with the new fares by making the list available at the terminals to avoid any confrontation with the traveling public.