In a new twist of events, the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has assured commuters that it will not rush to adjust transport fares despite the recent increase in fuel prices.

New prices of fuel took effect yesterday, Monday, March 17. As a result, petrol priced at GHȼ10.46 per litre will now be sold at GHȼ11.57. The price floor for diesel has jumped from GH¢11.42 to GH¢14.35 per litre, and LPG has risen from GH¢9.38 to GH¢10.67 per kilogramme.

The assurance follows growing public concern that recent increases in fuel prices at the pumps could trigger a corresponding rise in transport fares across the country.

Speaking on Channel One Newsroom, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the GPRTU, Samuel Amoah, backed the Union’s Industrial Relations Officer, Abass Imoro, who earlier mentioned a possible upward adjustment of the fares following the fuel price hikes, citing fares were not determined solely by fuel prices but also by other operational costs, including spare parts, lubricants and taxes.

“We all agreed that where it is now, we will not rush into making any decision but will wait to see what will happen next. We are going to maintain the fares we are taking for now because who knows, the fuel price may stabilise or there may be an increase or reduction in the next pricing window,” he said.

According to him, authorities and other stakeholders met with the leadership of the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council and the Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana on Monday, March 16, and after the meeting, it was concluded that the current fares are to remain for the time being.

According to Amoah, the unions rely on a technical team to monitor market conditions and provide guidance on when fare adjustments may be necessary.

“We have a technical team that goes out to check all these things and reports. Per their report, there is a need for us to hold on to see what will happen in the next pricing window. We do not know where it will go. What if we increase, and then in the next pricing window, it goes up to where we can’t control the situation? We will not know what to tell our members, and we can’t come back to tell the public that we are coming in for another increment,” Amoah said.

He added that the unions will review the situation after the next fuel pricing window before determining whether fares should be increased, reduced or maintained.

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.

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.