Accra, March 29, GNA- Commercial Road Transport Operators will on Thursday, March 31, 2022, meet Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister of Transport to deliberate on proposals to increase transport fares.
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has proposed a 15 per cent increment in transport fares following the recent increment in the ex-pump prices of petrol and diesel.
The Union said the proposed increment was in compliance with an earlier agreement with the Transport Ministry that it would adjust transport fares upwards anytime fuel prices went up by more than 10 per cent cumulatively.
Mr Richard Yaw Amankwah, the Deputy General Secretary in Charge of Operations, GPRTU, told the Ghana News Agency that the Union would not implement the 15 per cent increment proposal until it concluded discussions with the Government.
“We sent our proposal to the Minister about two weeks ago. Today we were informed that the meeting has been scheduled for Thursday afternoon. For now, we are not implementing the 15 per cent proposal until we are done with the meeting,” he said.
If the GPRTU’s proposal was successful, it would mean that transport fares would go up for the second time in less than two months.
The last increment, which was pegged at 15 per cent after successive negotiations, took effect on Saturday, March 26, 2022.
Barely two weeks after the adjustment, fuel prices shot up again by at least 20 per cent in the March 2022 Second Pricing Window. Currently, petrol and diesel are trading at an average of GH₵9.7 and GH₵10.40 per litre respectively.
The Government on Thursday, March 24, 2022, announced a reduction of the margins on fuel by 15 pesewas per litre for the next three months effective April 1, 2022.
Addressing a press conference in Accra, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister of Finance, announced a reduction in the BOST Margin by 2 pesewas per litre, and the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund Margin by 9 pesewas per litre.
The Government further reduced the Fuel Marking Margin by 1 pesewa per litre, with the Primary Distribution Margin also being reduced by 3 pesewas per litre.
Reacting to the development last Thursday, the GPRTU said the Government’s 15-pesewa reduction in fuel prices would not have any significant impact on their businesses.
The Union said given the rate at which fuel prices had shot up over the period, it had projected a reduction of not less than GH₵2 per litre to lessen the burden on consumers.
“If you look at the current increment from February 26 when we increased transport fares and where we are today, the 15 pesewas reduction in fuel prices looks like just insignificant to drivers as a whole,” Mr Abass Imoro, Head of Communications, GPRTU told the GNA.
GNA