Transport operators have started a public awareness campaign to explain why they need to raise transportation fares for the third time in 2022.
The sensitization exercise, according to operators, is to avoid being blamed for the increase in fares.
“We are conducting a sensitization programme for the public before we increase. We have to make sure the public is aware of what we want to do in order for them not to blame us but we should expect transport fares to go up,” Alhaji Abass Ibrahim Moro, the Head of Industrial Relations for the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) told 3FM.
According to him, unless the government intervenes, the increase will surely happen after the sensitization exercise.
“Unless maybe we wake up and hear that over GH¢12 per litre of diesel and over GH¢10 per litre of petrol has been slashed to maybe GH¢6, that is what will prevent us from increasing transport fares,” he added.
The effective day for the new prices will be determined on Friday, 17 June.
“We haven’t met to decide on the day to increase, but we are meeting this week; hopefully, by Friday, we shall meet, and you will hear from us,” he added.
Since 3 January 2022, the fuel price in Ghana has increased by over 45.7 per cent.
Earlier in January 2022, operators increased fares by 40%. They blamed it on the increasing cost of operations that have made life unbearable.
Justifying the increase, David Agboado, Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Concerned Drivers Association, said they were running at a loss.
“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,” he said.