The proposed adjustment in transport fares, which was expected to take effect on Friday, August 8, has been suspended by the transport operators.

This comes after the General Secretary of the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC), Emmanuel Ohene-Yeboah, on August 4th announced an imminent increase in transport fares during an interview on Adom News on Monday.

Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) informed the public to brace themselves for a 20% increase in public transport fares.

He affirmed the decision, adding that his outfit will issue an official press release soon.

Mr Emmanuel Ohene-Yeboah attributed the proposed fare adjustment to the hike in operational costs faced by transport operators.

However, in a twist of events, GRTCC, in a statement, announced a suspension of the adjustment following a crunch meeting with the Ministry of Transport on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.

“Transport Operators have agreed to suspend the purported 20% increment in public transport fares as a result of the lack of broader consultations on the decision,” the statement read.

As a result, all operators have been directed to strictly enforce the 15% reduction in transport fares, which has been in effect since May 24, 2025.

The decision comes amid widespread public concern and criticism over the lack of broader stakeholder engagement in the lead-up to the planned fare adjustment.

the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has opposed the directive, announcing that it is unaware of the proposed increase in fares as being purported and circulated by its sister union, GRTCC.

During an interview on Adom News’ Midday News yesterday, Tuesday, August 5, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the GPRTU, Samuel Amoah, expressed surprise at the announcement, stating that the union was not part of any consultations leading to such a decision.

“We only got the news yesterday, and we were surprised. We were not involved in any discussions or decision-making process regarding this fare increment by the GRTCC,” Mr. Amoah said.

According to him, for such adjustments to be made and announced, a thorough engagement is held with all relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Transport. “Usually, we sit around the table with all stakeholders, including the Ministry of Transport, before arriving at any decision on fare adjustments. But in this case, we were not part of it,” he added.

Mr. Amoah said the GPRTU will be engaging the Ministry of Transport in the coming days to discuss the matter and determine the appropriate way forward. On his path, the proposed 20% does not look very feasible. “As it stands, the increment announced by the GRTCC, which is supposed to take effect from August 8, 2025, may not be possible,” he noted.

Also, the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) has opposed the pending increment in transport fares as announced by GRTCC.

“For the avoidance of doubt, fuel prices which used to sell for around Ghc15/litre as of January 2025, when it declined to around ghcll and Ghc12/litre saw a section of drivers who were magnanimous in reducing transport fares by some 15% though a cross section of other driver Unions did not reduce their fares and had to be literally chased by the local assemblies. On the balance of odds or numbers, the pricing levels as of today are still not anywhere near the January prices from which transport fare discussions could be had, and such is our surprise at the attempts by a section of transport operators to justify a further increase in fares as of this time,” part of a statement issued by COPEC read.

Referring to the recent implementation of the GH₵1 Energy Sector Levy on Wednesday, July 16, the General Secretary of the GRTCC, mentioned that as a key contributory factor to the impending increase.

He said the levy has caused an increase in expenses such as fuel, spare parts, and vehicle maintenance.

“The introduction of the GH₵1 Energy Sector Levy has significantly increased our operational costs—fuel, spare parts, and maintenance are all more expensive now. This has made it necessary for us to adjust fares to keep the transport business running,” he stated.

He urged the public to accept the fare increase, explaining that it is necessary to keep transport businesses operational. He noted that the union had previously responded positively to the government's call to reduce fares when fuel prices dropped and the cedi strengthened, hoping it would lead to lower operating costs. However, they are now facing even greater challenges

“This decision should not come as a surprise to the public. In May, we responded to government’s request to reduce fares, anticipating a decrease in the cost of doing business. Unfortunately, the situation has worsened instead,” Mr. Ohene-Yeboah explained.

He stressed that transport unions are equally burdened and appealed to the public to remain calm and cooperate with the new fare structure.

“Maintenance costs are overwhelming and are significantly affecting our operations. Without this increase, the transport business will suffer greatly,” he added, noting that the decision was made in consultation with other major transport unions.

The 20% fare increment was to be effected by all categories of public transportation, such as taxis, intra-city “trotro” services, intercity long-distance buses, and haulage trucks.

In mid-July, the Coalition of Commercial Transport Operators threatened to increase transport fares by 30% should the government proceed with its GH¢1.00 per litre fuel levy.

The implementation of the new GHS1 Energy Sector Shortfall and Debt Repayment Levy on petroleum products commenced on Wednesday, July 16.

Before the implementation of the fuel levy, the government urged the transport operators to reduce fares due to the appreciation of the cedi, coupled with its effect on economic business transactions. Around May 20, GPRTU announced that commuters are to expect a 15% drop in transport fares, effective Saturday, May 24.

The government insists the levy is crucial for the financial recovery of Ghana’s energy sector. President John Mahama, while speaking at the presentation of the final report of the National Economic Dialogue 2025 on June 4, announced the government's decision to clear the accumulated legacy debts in the power sector with part of the revenue generated by the yet-to-be-implemented levy.

Before the implementation of the fuel levy, the government urged the transport operators to reduce fares due to the appreciation of the cedi, coupled with its effect on economic business transactions.

Around May 20, GPRTU announced that commuters are to expect a 15% drop in transport fares, effective Saturday, May 24. This was made known by the Industrial Relations Officer of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Abass Imoro, while speaking to the media.

“We have finally agreed to reduce lorry fares by 15%, but it will take effect from Saturday. Although currently, spare parts sellers have promised to reduce some of their prices for now, which hasn’t taken effect, and none of the lubricants that went up have been reduced currently, but we decided to peg the reduction at 15%,” he added.