GPRTU suspends 15% fare increment announcement; set for crunch meeting with Transport Minister

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has suspended the planned increment of transport fares today, Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

The unions were set to announce the new transport fares at a press conference in Accra but a visit by a delegation from the Transport Ministry forced the leadership to revise plans.

Speaking to Citi News this evening, GPRTU Industrial Relations Officer Imoro Abass said the union planned to announce a 15% increment in transport fares.

However, due to a scheduled meeting with the Minister for Transport on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, the increment has been put on hold.

“We were about to start when a high powered delegation from the Transport Ministry came to us and pleaded for not responding swiftly to our request or our letter and that the Minister has sent them to do that on his behalf, requesting to meet us next week Tuesday for final settlement on the lorry fare issue,” Imoro Abass indicated.

He continued, “After a lengthy deliberation our leadership accepted so our main aim of today’s meeting was suspended pending next week Tuesday’s meeting with the Transport Minister. We had wanted to announce new lorry fares today. We intend not to come out with not less than 15%. We now have to swallow it until next week Tuesday’s meeting with the Transport Minister.”

According to the Union, the increment is necessary to mitigate the suffering of members in the midst of the high cost of fuel in the country.

At next week’s meeting, the Transport Ministry is likely to make efforts to convince GPRTU to either hold on with the transport fare increment or push for the percentage to be reduced.