The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has spoken following the mounting pressure on the association to reduce transport fares following the decline in fuel prices.
According to GPRTU, fuel costs have reduced in the recent pricing window, but vehicle maintenance, spare parts, tyres, lubricants and financing costs remain unchanged.
The GPRTU argued that persistent cost pressures outweigh the benefits gained from the recent drop in fuel prices.
Abass Imoro, the Public Relations Officer of GPRTU, highlighted that the union has a track record of responding to favourable cost conditions.
He added that fares will be reviewed once conditions permit it, adding that in May 2025 the GPRTU cut fuel price by 15 percent withut any pressure.
Speaking on Citi Business News, Abass Imoro stated, “The last year, 15% [transport fare reduction], nobody forced us. We saw the need for everybody. The government came up trying to make Ghana laugh once again, and we also joined that train, that yes, we have to make sure we also give up the best that we could.
“Now there has been another reduction [in fuel prices]. All we are saying is if the need arises that we should decrease the lorry fare further; we will do that without hesitation. We are talking about spare parts which have never been reduced”.
He added, “You see, these are some of the things. As we talk now, I am just coming from services. I went and bought oil. Last year, the oil S5 W30, which I have been buying at GH¢600 for 5 litres, is the same GH¢600.
“We are surprised the dollar has been decreased, and some of these things that we thought it is because of the dollar, no, it is not because of the dollar. The prices are still the same as it was”.
His remarks follow, the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), who have urged commercial transport operators, ride-hailing platforms such as Bolt, Uber and Yango to adjust their fares in line with fuel reduction.
It will be recalled that, getting to the end of 2025, the GPRTU revealed plans to increase transport fares if fuel prices fail to remain stable.
According to the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the GPRTU, Samuel Amoah, the rising fuel costs and the spare parts dealers’ refusal to reduce prices have forced the union to consider adjusting transport fares.
Speaking to Eyewitness News, Samuel Amoah stated, “When we were asked to reduce our transport fare by 15%, the fuel price was around 12.59p for diesel, and the petroleum too was around 11.34p”.
“After that, the expectation was that maybe the fuel price was going to remain the way it was, but then we noticed that it kept going up. At the same time, we are also complaining about the cost of spare parts and other components that we use to run our business.”
The Deputy Public Relations Officer of the GPRTU further cried out at the spare parts dealers’ refusal to reduce their prices.
He further explained, “We came out complaining that the spare parts dealers should reduce their prices, but they haven’t done so. So, looking at where the fuel prices are now — diesel is now being sold at 14.44 pesewas, thereabout, and then petrol too around 13.69 pesewas — we find that if the next pricing window pushes fuel up again, then the transport operators would have to do some adjustments of transport fares so we can continue to serve the public”.
The GPRTU called on the government to act swiftly to stabilise fuel prices.
“We are asking the government to find a way of holding the fuel pricing for it not to go up again. But if it happens to go up, then there is nothing we can do but to increase the transport fare,” he said.