The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has put its proposed 30% increase in transport fares on hold pending a fresh review of the cost of operating commercial vehicles.
Deputy Public Relations Officer of the GPRTU, Samuel Amoah, said the decision followed discussions with the Ministry of Transport, with both sides agreeing to reassess the various cost components before a final decision is taken on the proposed fare adjustment.
“We are not going to increase for now, but we are doing a survey to check if, going forward, the increments will come or not,” Mr Amoah said on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
The GPRTU had proposed a 30% increase in fares following increases in fuel prices and other operating costs and submitted the proposal to the Ministry of Transport for consideration.
However, following a meeting with the ministry on Tuesday, September 8, the union agreed to suspend the proposed increase while a joint team conducts a fresh assessment of the actual cost of operating commercial vehicles.
Mr Amoah said the review would consider fuel prices, spare parts and other inputs that determine transport operating costs.
He said the government had argued that the recent appreciation of the cedi should result in lower prices for spare parts, prompting the transport operators to agree to a fresh assessment of the cost components.
“Finally, the agreement between the GPRTU together with the transport ministry was that we form a committee to just check on the cost inputs for them to put those things together,” he said.
Mr Amoah said the review was expected to be completed before the next fuel-pricing window, which is due around next week.
He said the outcome of the review would determine whether the union would proceed with the proposed increase.
“We’ll still go back to the negotiation table to see what we are supposed to do. Either we still go ahead to increase. If we have to go ahead to increase, we’ll be there,” he said.
For now, passengers are expected to continue paying the existing approved fares.
The GPRTU and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council have also directed drivers, station masters and transport owners to maintain the current fares pending the outcome of the consultations.
Mr Amoah, however, noted that the decision to maintain existing fares would be beneficial to commuters in the short term, but questioned how long transport operators could sustain their services if fuel prices increased further.
“Clearly for me, that is good news that they are deciding not to increase first. Except that the question will be how long can they sustain their operations if prices of petroleum products were to go up again,” he remarked.