A planned engagement between the Government and commercial transport operators over the proposed increment in transport fares on Thursday has been cancelled.
The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, February 10, 2022, has been postponed to Monday, February 14, 2022, due to the death of a relative of the Chairman of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Mr Godfred Abulbire, General Secretary, GPRTU, told the Ghana News Agency.
Nana Nimako Bresiamah, Chairman, GPRTU, was supposed to lead the GPRTU leadership in the discussions with the Government, Mr Abulbire said.
The executive members of the Coalition of Private Transport Operators met Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister of Transport on Monday, February 07, 2022, but the meeting ended inclusively.
Negotiation over a proposal by the transport operators to increase transport fares by 30 per cent was consequently deferred to Thursday, February 10, to allow for further consultations with relevant stakeholders.
Mr Abulbire said the GPRTU on Thursday morning duly notified the Transport Minister about their inability to appear at the meeting and asked for it to be rescheduled to Monday.
“We informed the Minister earlier but unfortunately some of the Executives who did not know that the meeting had been cancelled came from Kumasi only to be told that it had been postponed to Monday,” he said.
The Coalition of Private Transport Operators consists of Ghana Private Road and Transport Union (GPRTU), Association of Tipper Truck Drivers, Harbor Transport Owners, Ghana National Cargo Transport Association, Ghana Committed Drivers Association, Concerned Drivers Association, Digital Drivers, Commercial motorbike riders, popularly referred to as Okada, and the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers, among others.
The transport operators have proposed a 30 per cent increment in transport fares, citing hikes in fuel prices, spare parts and other variables as the basis for the proposal.
The Coalition said a market survey it conducted recently showed that the prices of the variables that affected its operations, including spare parts and lubricants had shot up by at least 35 per cent over the period.
They said the continuous hikes in fuel prices had taken a toll on their businesses, hence the need for an upward adjustment in transport fares.
They initially appealed to the Government to scrap some taxes on petroleum products to cushion the burden on consumers and enable them to sustain their businesses.
The Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy (PRSL), which had been suspended from November 2021 to the end of January 2022, was reintroduced this month, February.
Fuel prices have gone up by at least 50 pesewas per litre at the pumps since February 01, 2022.
Petrol and diesel are currently being sold at an average GH? 7.3 and GH? 7.4 per litre respectively.
The hike has been blamed on the rising cost of Brent crude on the international market, with some analysts projecting that fuel prices could hit GH8.0 per litre by March this year if the situation on the world market progressed.
Credit: Ghanaian Standard
