The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), is calling on stakeholders within the transport sector to immediately reduce transport fares.
The call comes hours after President Akufo-Addo in his 14th address to the nation on Sunday, 26th July, 2020, on measures taken by government to ease COVID-19 restrictions, said commercial vehicles can now take full capacity.
According to COPEC, every revenue that commercial drivers have lost before the announcement is now restored thus the call for a reversal of transport fares.
In a statement issued by the Chamber, Executive Director, Duncan Amoah, said, “We are, by this statement calling on some of our major stakeholders in the transport sector including the GPRTU, Concerned Drivers Association, Committed Drivers Association and the Ghana Road Transport Cordinating Council to immediately without fail, ensure that transport fares are reversed by close of day Friday, not only to previous rates, but a further 5% reduction possibly on the previous rates before these recent increases since fuel price variance as at this point remains positive by at least a further 12% from the pre covid-19 lockdown period.
It will be recalled that government recently approved a 15% increment in transport fares following fuel price hikes amid social distancing in vehicles.
COPEC however suggests that, ’the above thus renders any possible argument on the part of transport operators for stay of current transport fares at this point, citing the marginal fuel price increases as an excuse ostensibly to deny Ghanaian commuters the deserved reductions in transport fares moot since the fuel price variance before and after the lockdown period remains a distant 10%+ positive to the commercial transport operators at this point.”
Gov’t approves 15% increase in transport fares
Government earlier this month, approved a proposal from public transport operators to increase fares by 15 percent.
The increment took effect from Saturday, July 11, 2020.
A Deputy Transport Minister, Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, told Citi Business News that the decision was taken after a meeting with transport operators on Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
He said the transport operators made an alternative proposal which was for the government to allow them to revert to carrying their usual full seating capacity or for the fares should be adjusted upwards.
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