”Park Your Vehicles On Monday If Fuel Prices Are Still High” – Alliance of Drivers to Members
A group of commercial drivers calling itself Alliance of Drivers has called on all drivers to park their vehicles on Monday in protest of the constant rise in fuel prices.
The group, consisting of long-distance bus drivers have advised drivers who particularly ply the Techiman to Accra, Techiman to Cape Coast, and Techiman to Kumasi roads to cease operations on November 7, 2022, in order not to incur losses.
According to the group, Oil Marketing Companies(OMCs) have resorted to profiteering at the expense of the consumers.
They have called on the government to “sit up and reduce some of the fuel taxes and if possible introduce subsidies on petroleum products”.
A statement issued in Accra and signed by the National Chairman of the Alliance of Drivers, Ghana, Alhaji Yahya Isiaka, cautioned that if the government fails to adhere to the above suggestion, they “will urge all drivers and transport operators to put on hold all transport business.”
“It is not easy for every Ghanaian at this point as this increment has contributed immensely to the increase in general prices of goods and services. Businesses are suffering, passengers and drivers are fighting on a daily basis because the latter is always adjusting transport fares upwards,” the statement said.
This comes after the Ghana Private Road Transport Union(GPRTU), and VIP Jeoun, a popular long-distance transport company, increased their fares for commuters across the country. Metro Mass is set to increase its fares too.
GPRTU, for instance, increased their fares by 20% after negotiating with the government.
They all attributed the increment to what they said is the increasing fuel prices amid its attendant hardship suffered in the current economic downturn.
The transport services said they could not shoulder the operational cost accompanying the current developments.
Petrol and diesel prices are currently going for an average of ¢18 and ¢23 per litre, from the previous prices of ¢15 and ¢19 per litre, respectively, according to the latest prices at the pumps.
The fuel price has increased by more than 100% since the beginning of the year.
Petrol and diesel sold at about ¢7.5 per litre at the beginning of 2022.