The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has issued a 48-hour deadline to government to abolish fuel-related taxes or risk a nationwide increase in transport fares.
The union says the growing cost of operations is becoming unbearable for commercial drivers, citing rising fuel prices, expensive spare parts, deteriorating road conditions, and increased charges by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
According to the Deputy Industrial and Public Relations Officer of GPRTU, Samuel Amoah, while the government may argue that current economic pressures are beyond its immediate control, transport operators are being forced to make difficult decisions to stay in business.
He cautioned that failure by authorities to respond would leave transport operators with no alternative but to push for higher fares.
“We came up with this release and gave the government two days to do something about it. If they fail to do [that]…then we have no option but to organise ourselves to request an increment of transport fares for our members.
“What the government and the president is saying is, it is something they can’t control right now, but the transport operators may be forced to,” Amoah explained in an interview with Joy News.
The warning comes on the back of new pricing guidelines announced by the National Petroleum Authority, which set minimum ex-pump prices for the period April 1 to April 15 at GHS 13.30 per litre for petrol and GHS 17.10 per litre for diesel.
This marks a significant increase compared to the previous pricing window ending March 31, when petrol and diesel were pegged at GHS 11.57 and GHS 14.35 per litre, respectively.
The surge in fuel prices has been largely attributed to escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which continue to impact global oil markets.