Commercial drivers to increase fares by 15% from 29 March

Transport fares will go up by 15 per cent effective Tuesday, 29 March 2022, the Public Relations Officer of the National Concerned Drivers Association, Mr David Agboado, has told Nasaria Abdul Rahman on Class91.3FM’s mid-day news 12 Live.

“When we increased transport fares the other time, it was GHS7.99 [per litre] but now it’s GHS10.90, an increment of GHS3 and we cannot afford it, so, we have to pass it on to the consumer; that’s how we came by this 15 per cent that will take effect from Tuesday, 29 March 2022”, he said in an interview on Friday, 25 March 2022.

Asked if the drivers weren’t being insensitive to the ordinary Ghanaian, especially since transport fares went up just a few weeks ago, Mr Agboado said: “No, it is not so because fuel prices have also been increased from GHS7.99 to GHS10.90, so, it is not in the wrong direction but rather in the right direction”.

The decision of the drivers comes on the heels of the government’s reduction of some margins on the price build-up of petroleum products by 15 per cent.

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta made the announcement on Thursday, 24 March 2022 when he outlines some austerity and economy-fixing measures approved by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Mr Aboado said the drivers were expecting a much more signification reduction in fuel prices than the 15 per cent announced by Mr Ofori-Atta.

“We should have done this long ago but we were expecting the minister – because they called us this week, on Monday, for a meeting and a discussion; we did all those things hoping that yesterday [Thursday] that 15 per cent [reduction in fuel price margins] would have been GHS2.40 from a litre but it still remains the usual GHS10.90, so, we cannot afford it anymore that’s why we are passing it onto the consumers”.