The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has threatened to increase transport fares by 30% if the government fails to intervene in the continued rise in fuel prices.
The union says the persistent increase in petroleum prices is putting pressure on commercial drivers, who are struggling to absorb the rising cost of operations.
Deputy Public Relations Officer of the GPRTU, Samuel Amoah, said the union had already appealed to the government to take measures to bring down fuel prices but has yet to see any improvement.
“We proposed last week that government should do something about petroleum products… But government promised fuel prices would come down, and that is not what we are seeing,” he said.
Mr Amoah said a three-day ultimatum issued to the government expired last Saturday without any response, prompting the union’s leadership to seek further engagement with the Ministry of Transport.
“Last week we gave government a three-day ultimatum. The period we gave the government ended last Saturday. As I speak, we have not heard anything from them. The leadership is now moving to meet the Transport Ministry to find out what the problem is. If nothing changes, we cannot do anything other than implement a 30% increase in transport fares,” he warned.
The warning comes amid successive increases in fuel prices at the pumps, with diesel prices moving closer to GH¢20 per litre as international refined petroleum product prices and import costs rise.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) has called on the government to temporarily suspend the additional GH¢1 levy on petroleum products to provide some relief to consumers.
COMAC argues that suspending the levy could help cushion consumers from the impact of rising global oil prices and exchange rate pressures, which have contributed to the recent increases at the pumps.
