The Ministry of Transport has described the 30 percent increment in transportation fares by some driver unions as illegal.
The Ministry wants drivers charging the 30 percent increment to scrap the extra charges since they have not been agreed upon.
“It is illegal because any time they want this increment, it is in this room, in this [Transport] Ministry, that all parties come to sit [and we agree on new fares],” a Deputy Transport Minister, Daniel Titus-Glover, said to Citi News.
A group calling itself the Concerned Drivers Union on Monday, July 6 increased its transport fares by 30 percent, following the increase in fuel prices.
A day after it implemented its 30 percent increase in fares, the government approved a proposal from transport operators to increase transport fares by 15 percent.
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) had given the government a choice between an increase in fares or a return to the trotros taking their full capacity.
Urban transport operators reduced their passenger intake to promote social distancing because of the novel coronavirus spread.
For the approved transport increases, Mr. Titus-Glover indicated that his outfit looks “at all the indicators and see whether the request that they are making is legit or not.”
Despite the Ministry’s stance and the approved increase, the leadership of the Concerned Drivers Union says it will maintain the 30 percent increment.
The Vice-Chairman of the group, David Agboado, insisted that his outfit’s 30 percent hike was justified because of the recent market developments.
“We will take our 30 percent that we have already set and nothing but the 30 percent because when you see the number of passengers we are taking, we are losing and prices of spare parts are up and fuel prices are up.”
“He [the Transport Minister] can come with his 15 percent, but he should go and give it to Metro Mass and Aayalolo,” David Agboado added.
