Ghanaians may have to brace themselves for a hike in transport fares amid the looming upward adjustment of fuel prices.

The last time the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) officially increased transport fares was in October 2025, when fares went up by about 20% nationwide due to rising fuel prices and spare parts costs.

Amid stakeholders and some experts' predictions, the Middle East crisis is likely to soon affect fuel prices in Ghana, and given the country’s dependence on the Arabs states for about 20% of its fuel, commuters will bear the cost.

Speaking on the fares, GPRTU’s Industrial Relations Officer, Abass Imoro, indicated that transport fares may increase if fuel prices go up in the next pricing window.

He said the review will be to cope with rising operational expenses.

“You know we work for profit, and for some time now prices have remained the same. Some of our people even went out of their way to increase their prices, but we were able to stop them. This indicates that they are looking for a change in the prices of fares,” he explained while speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV.

He continued that fuel is not the only factor affecting drivers, stating that the cost of spare parts, lubricants, and other vehicle maintenance items has remained high.

“We spoke about the prices of spare parts, lubricants and other things we use on our cars, but their prices have remained high. So these are the indicators we look at,” he said.

He further noted that the union does not immediately impose fare increases, but upward fuel price adjustments often influence such decisions.

“We do not immediately impose a new fare, but if the price of fuel changes and it is upwards, everybody should expect a change in lorry fare,” he added.

This warning came just a day before the second fuel pricing window, beginning Monday, March 16, with industry analysts predicting potential pump price increases across the country.

Recent figures show that the price floor for petrol has risen to GH¢11.57 per litre from GH¢10.46 between March 1 and 15. Diesel has also increased to GH¢14.35 per litre from GH¢11.42, while liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) now costs GH¢10.67 per kilogramme, up from GH¢9.38.

Overall, these adjustments represent increases of GH¢1.11 for petrol, GH¢2.93 for diesel, and GH¢1.29 for LPG within the same month.

Meanwhile, last year, GPRTU justified its decision to maintain its transport fares despite a minor reduction in fuel prices, emphasising that fare adjustments were influenced by several cost elements beyond fuel hike.

During an interview on PM Express on Joy News on Tuesday, March 18, GPRTU’s Deputy PRO, Samuel Amoah, highlighted that expenses related to spare parts, insurance, DVLA charges, and other operational costs significantly impacted fare determinations.

“Before December, we had plans of increasing transport fares—first, because of the high cost of spare parts; then where the fuel price was also heading; and the cost of lubricants, insurance, and DVLA taxes,” Amoah stated.

“But we held on, thinking that things would improve because of the promises we had that going forward, things were going to get better.”

He admitted that fuel prices had decreased slightly but insisted that the reduction did not justify a fare decrease.

“Yes, we had seen that fuel prices were coming down a little bit. But what I could say was that it had not gotten to the level that would call for a reduction in transport fares.”

He acknowledged the slight drop in fuel prices but maintained that the decrease was not substantial enough to justify reducing transport fares.

Amoah also emphasized that fuel costs were just one of several key factors considered when reviewing fare adjustments.

“We didn’t only consider fuel prices to determine our transport fares,” he explained.

“We had other components, like the cost of spare parts, as I earlier mentioned. We also considered the cost of lubricants, taxes, and other petroleum products.”

He also detailed the procedures the GPRTU adhered to when determining fare adjustments.