The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has dismissed claims that its members are deliberately inflating transport fares amid an alleged shortage of public transport vehicles, insisting that the situation is seasonal.
Speaking on Adekyee Mu Nsem, a morning show on Ahotor FM 92.3 in Accra, the Communication Director of the GPRTU Imoro Abbas said the scarcity of vehicles is temporary and not the result of any deliberate action by the union. He stressed that it is untrue that the union has instructed drivers to increase fares.
According to him, feasibility studies have shown that the current challenges faced by pedestrians and commuters occur seasonally and will soon ease. He further expressed disappointment in some drivers and unions who have taken advantage of the situation to charge unapproved fares, reiterating that the GPRTU has not sanctioned any fare increment.
In a related development, the GPRTU has also denied allegations that its members are creating artificial scarcity to overcharge passengers. Responding to comments by the Minister of State for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who accused transport operators of manipulating the situation to hike fares, the GPRTU’s National Secretary General, Kofi Amoah, refuted the claims.
“These problems happening at the roadside, where passengers are stranded and drivers take advantage to charge unapproved fares, involve vehicles that do not belong to the union. Most of these are floating vehicles,” Mr. Amoah said.
He added that the union has already held meetings and will deploy task forces to monitor compliance among its members.
“We will be hitting the streets with our task force to ensure that if our vehicles are found engaging in such practices, we will cause their arrest and impose sanctions,” he stated.
Mr. Amoah also urged commuters to patronise vehicles at designated union stations, explaining that union members are required to pay dues and operate strictly within approved routes and fares.
“We encourage passengers to use these stations rather than catching vehicles from the roadside,” he said.
Meanwhile, Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) has announced a temporary reduction in some intercity services in order to redeploy buses for intracity operations in Accra, as part of efforts to ease rush-hour congestion.
The move is intended to reduce pressure on commuters, particularly during the morning and evening peak periods.
Speaking on the matter, Head of Communications at MMT, Mohammed Mubarak Watara, said the decision followed directives from the Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, who urged the company to support private transport operators during peak hours.
“Indeed, I can confirm that the Minister met with Metro Mass and our sister company to ensure that buses are made available for rush-hour operations,” he said.
Mr. Watara explained that although Metro Mass is currently operating with a limited fleet, management has made strategic adjustments to maximise available resources.
“At the moment, our fleet is very low, but we have been able to adjust by extending our working hours. While we focus more on intracity transport, we have also increased our routes, though not to every destination because of the limited number of buses,” he said.
He noted that services have been intensified on high-demand routes within the city.
“For instance, on the Adenta route, we are using the EV buses. All 10 buses have been operating from 4:30 a.m., and even after 8:30 p.m., our buses are still running,” he explained.
Mr. Watara added that additional arrangements have been made for commuters along the Kasoa corridor.
“We now operate from Kaneshie to Kasoa, with an additional station created in our yard for Kasoa commuters. We also run routes from Circle to Amasaman and Nsawam,” he stated.
To sustain the expanded intracity operations, he said Metro Mass has scaled down some long-distance services.
“We have reduced the number of buses going to Kumasi and Cape Coast to make way for intracity commuters,” he added.