Story: News Desk 

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) says any adjustment to transport fares will be considered when conditions permit, even as pressure mounts on operators to reduce fares in line with recent fuel price declines.

The union’s position comes amid renewed calls from energy sector think tank and industry observers for transport operators to pass on savings from lower pump prices to commuters.

While fuel costs have eased in the recent pricing window, GPRTU maintains that the broader cost structure of transport operations has not changed significantly.

According to the union and some commercial drivers, key operational inputs such as  vehicle maintenance, spare parts, tyres, lubricants and financing costs remain elevated, limiting the immediate scope for fare reductions.

These cost pressures, it argued, continued to weigh heavily on operators despite the relief from lower fuel prices.

Public Relations Officer of GPRTU, Abass Imoro, insisted  the union had  a track record of responding to favourable cost conditions and reiterates that fares will be reviewed without delay once there was  sufficient evidence of sustained reductions across major cost components.

He pointed to the May 2025 fare adjustment, when transport fares were cut by 15 percent following a marked improvement in operating conditions including fuel price reductions as evidence of its willingness to act when circumstances allow.

“The last year 15% [transport fare reduction], nobody forced us. We saw the need of everybody. The government came up trying to make Ghana laugh once again and we also joined that train that yes, we have to make sure we also give up the best that we could.

“Now there has been another reduction [in fuel prices]. All we are saying is if the need arises that we should decrease lorry fare further, we will do that without hesitating. We are talking about spare parts which have never been reduced.

“You see, these are some of the things. As we talk now, I am just coming from services. I went and bought oil. Last year, the oil S5 W30, which I have been buying at GH¢600 for 5 liters, is the same GH¢600.

“We are surprised the dollar has been decreased and some of these things that we thought it is because of the dollar, no, it is not because of the dollar. The prices are still the same as it was,” Abass Imoro said in an interview.

The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) in recent times urged commercial transport operators, including ride-hailing platforms such as Bolt, Uber and Yango, to begin reviewing and adjusting their fares in line with the recent reductions in ex-pump fuel prices.

0COPEC’s year-on-year assessment further shows that consumers are recording significant savings under the current pricing window, with petrol and diesel prices down by between GH¢3 and GH¢4 per litre compared with January 2025.