GPRTU suspends 30% fare hike pending fresh cost review
Public transport fares will remain at their current levels for now, although an increase could still be introduced after the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) completes a fresh assessment of operating costs.
GPRTU Deputy Public Relations Officer Samuel Amoah said the decision to review the cost structure was reached in consultation with the Ministry of Transport before a final determination is made on the union’s proposed 30% fare increase.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Mr Amoah said the union was conducting the review to establish whether a fare adjustment would be necessary.
“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,” he said.
The GPRTU had proposed a 30% increase in transport fares, citing rising fuel prices and other operational expenses. The proposal was subsequently submitted to the Ministry of Transport for consideration.
Following a meeting with the ministry on Tuesday, September 8, the union agreed to suspend the proposed increase while a joint committee assesses the actual costs involved in operating commercial vehicles.
Mr Amoah said the review would consider key cost components, including fuel, spare parts and other operational inputs.
He explained that the government had argued that the recent appreciation of the cedi should result in lower prices for spare parts, prompting transport operators to support a fresh assessment of the factors used to determine fares.
“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.
The review is expected to be completed before the next fuel-pricing window, which is scheduled for around next week.
Mr Amoah said the union would then return to the negotiation table with the government to determine whether the proposed increase should proceed.
“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 stated.
The proposed 30% fare hike therefore remains under consideration and will depend on the findings of the cost review and subsequent negotiations between the transport operators and government.
Until a final decision is reached, 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.
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