By Eric K. Amoh
Tamale, April 18, GNA – Some drivers plying the Bolgatanga-Tamale Road have increased fares in contravention to directives from the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) not to charge new fares until they are asked to do so.
Previously, the fare from Bolga to Tamale was GHC70 on the about 160 kilometre journey but was increased to GHC80 on Monday in disregard to the directives.
The GPRTU and GRTCC last week in a statement urged commuters not to pay any proposed new transport fares yet to receive official approval.
The announcement was passed in response to the Transport Operators Union and the Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana, declaring a 30 percent increase in transport fares effective April 13, 2024.
The joint press release by the GPRTU and the GRTCC noted that the agitations to raise fares arose from government’s inability to address the drivers’ grievances.
However, the two bodies emphasized in their statement that any fare hike outside the parameters set by the Administrative Instrument governing the review of public transport fares is deemed illegal and should be disregarded.
The Bolga-Tamale stations, also known as Total 3 and Nasona run by Needle and Tread Transport and V3 Transport, are the only stations that have increased the fares.
The Station Manager of Needle and Thread (N&T) Transport at Total 3, Mr Joe Zoogah, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency, indicated that the cost of running the fleet was increasingly unbearable as fuel prices kept soaring while prices of other vehicular compliments such as spare parts and DVLA consistently affected the transport business, not to mention the bad roads.
He said the Ghc10 cedis added to the fare was less than 20 percent against the earlier proposed 30 percent, indicating that after weighing the choice of parking their vehicles, management took into consideration the inconvenience to the traveling public, hence fixing the fare at GHc80.
He added that the GHC10 cedis added was a review of previous increments, on which the two stations maintained their old prices for purposes of convenience to travellers and not necessarily increment as alleged by sections of the travelling public.
A passenger, Karimu Abanga, told the GNA that even though the GPRTU secretariat had not officially approved the new fares, he was compelled to cooperate with the drivers, because their vehicles were good and comfortable.
GNA