GPRTU pushes back against the ‘controversial’ 20% transport fare hike

Tension brews within Ghana’s transport sector as the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) dissociates from a 20% fare increment announced by the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC), expected to take effect this Friday, August 8.

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union has responded to the recent 20% fare increment, stating that it had no idea and was not consulted in any form before the announcement was made by the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC).

The Public Relations Officer of the GPRTU, Samuel Amoah, in an interview on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, described the decision as shocking and unilateral.

Mr. Amoah explained that if there needs to be an increment or otherwise, that decision was made unanimously by three bodies: GPRTU, the GRTCC, and the Ministry of Transport. This, according to Mr. Amoah, had been the tradition until recently.

However, the GRTCC has stuck to its guns, pointing to a number of economic hardships currently facing transport operators in the country.

In a statement signed by GRTCC’s General Secretary, Emmanuel Ohene-Yeboah, and Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Tanko, it is suggested that the increase conforms to existing administrative procedures and that the decision was made in consultation with select transport unions.

Some reasons cited by the GRTCC as reasons for the increment include: high cost of vehicle parts, the introduction of a GH₵1.00 per litre fuel levy, which has driven up fuel prices by about 8%, and worsening road conditions nationwide.