Transport Ministry merely piling unnecessary hardship on Ghanaians – COPEC on transport increment

Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers, Duncan Amoah has said the Transport Ministry's decision to allow transport operators to increase transportation fares by 15 percent will now burden passengers amidst the economic hardship in the country.

According to him, though drivers will now heave a sigh of relief as the increment in prices will cushion them a bit to cover up for the losses incurred over the past months, the ministry could have done better by providing other means to free both drivers and passengers from this harsh impact of this decision.

“How long are you going to sustain increases in transport fares? If tomorrow morning the input cost variance should go up again and the drivers say they need additional transport increases, are we still going to be adding on like we have done now?...there’s no mechanism to ensure a fair system, it is the market woman, the trotro driver...those at the other end that suffer whiles the ministry continues to pretend that they are negotiating for us… We are only piling hardship on the unsuspecting market woman, unto the poor person who probably hasn’t made any financial space to pay for more,” Mr. Amoah said.

He noted that the Transport Ministry needs to develop a comprehensive public transport policy that will make room for all stakeholders to gauge, predict, and accept what is fair instead of the habitual ‘dictating’ to them anytime there's a hike in fuel prices.

In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, Mr Amoah “What is fair is not what the transport ministry and the GPRTU goes to sit in a room to agree on for you and I and the market women to pay. What is fair is what you and I should realistically pay for”.

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) is expected to release new transport fares this Saturday, July 11, 2020 after the approval from the Ministry of Transport.

Deputy Transport Minister, Titus Glover explained that government took this decision to help lessen the burden on drivers during the period passengers are practicing social distancing.