Politics Of Transport Fares: No Law Bars Us From Increasing Fares – GPRTU

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The Spokesperson of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Abbas Imoro, has stated that no laws in the 1992 Constitution bar the union from increasing transport fares in the country.

Imoro said that the union has increased transport fares by 20 per cent without consulting the government and other stakeholders because all attempts to engage the government have been futile.

The spokesperson, who made these remarks in a JoyNews interview monitored by GhanaWeb, added that drivers do not need the permission of the government to increase prices because other service providers have increased their prices without the government's consent.

"Writing a letter to somebody (the government) on 17th March, we are now in May, and you keep getting on the person's neck, when are we siting, when are we doing something about this and there is no good response, normally, … you have to move forward, and I don't [think] there is a law barring us from coming up (increase prices) when we are suffering.

"As we speak now, boiled egg is no longer being sold at 1 cedi; it is 2 cedi; even 'bofrot' is no longer sold at 1 cedi; it is 2 cedi and above ... who did they consult before coming up with these current prices," he said.

Also, Imoro said that an order given by the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) that Ghanaians and drivers should ignore the 20 per cent increase in transport fares was ill-fated because the council did not have drivers under them to witness the challenges they were facing.

"Let me go back to the GRTCC... it is just unfortunate. If they (GRTCC) have members that are operating transportation, then we still say it is unfortunate. Each time we are going to have an upward adjustment, they wait for our proposals; when have they made a proposal to us?

"... the general-secretary of the GRTCC has never been a driver before. Because he has never been a driver, he does not feel the impact on commercial drivers when they are suffering... school is going to resume, and we have to pay our children's school fees, and if you don't get something at the end of your day how do you pay the fees, some people have to pay rent," he said.

This is the first time drivers' unions have increased transportation fares on their own. Normally, the GPRTU comes up with a proposal to increase transport fares which they send to the GRTCC. The GRTCC will evaluate the proposal and then submit it to the Transport Ministry.

The three bodies (GPRTU, GRTCC, and the Transport Ministry) will then have a tripartite meeting and determine the rate of increment in transport fares.

.ghanaweb.com