The Concerned Drivers Association (CDA) says it could have announced transport fare increment of over 30 percent, but had to settle for 20 percent because it noted that the salaries of workers have not gone up.
According to the association, although it wished that transport fares could remain the same, it had no option other than to increase prices because they were running at losses.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Concerned Drivers Association, David Agboado, in an interview on Eyewitness News on Monday, said, “the last increment was done in February 2022. At the time, fuel was sold at GH¢7.99 per litre, but now it goes for GH¢11.30 per litre. Look at fuel prices, the cost of tyres, and lubricants, these warrant a 30% increment, but we all said wages have not been increased so if we do it that way, it will be hard on everyone, so we agreed to start with 20%.”
Some commercial drivers at some bus terminals are already charging 20% more on transport fares ahead of the expected increment in transport fares by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) on Friday.
The development has left many Ghanaians concerned with complaints that the situation will take a negative toll on their finances.
“Negotiation for possible fare increment started in March 2022, and we’ve written to the Minister of Transport four times, but there was no positive result and because we are business people, and we don’t want our business to collapse we have to act. We don’t want to run at a loss, so we did what is right,” Mr. Agboado said.
Mr. Agboado also responded to a directive by the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) asking Ghanaians to disregard a 20 percent increment in transport fares.
The CDA PRO insisted that Emmanuel Ohene-Yeboah, the General Secretary of the GRTCC who signed the statement “is not doing the bidding of transporters. He is doing his own parochial interest something. We are serious business-minded people and will do what is right for the driving public.”