DON’T BEAT UP DRIVERS OR MATES IF THEY REFUSE TO REDUCE FARES ON SATURDAY – GPRTU PRO

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), along with various commercial transport operator, declared a 15 per cent reduction in transport fares starting Saturday, May 24, 2025.

This follows fruitful discussions between transport providers and the Ministry of Transport.

The 15 percent change indicates the continued strengthening of the cedi versus the US dollar, leading to a considerable decrease in fuel costs.

Speaking on CITI NEWS Abass Imoro, the Industrial Relations Officer of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) stated, “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 which went up has been reduced currently, we decided to peg the reduction at 15%”, he added.

Meanwhile, spare parts dealers at Abossey Okai are resisting calls to reduce prices.

Some spare parts dealer at Abossey Okai asserted that their current stock was purchased when the exchange rate was significantly higher.

They noted that it is economically unfeasible to reduce prices at this time.

A spare parts dealer at Abossey Okai stated, “For now maybe it can’t be possible because we ordered the goods at a certain rate which is higher than what we are seeing now. With that price we have to sell and when the goods finish and you are ordering another one with a reduced [exchange] rate, then definitely the prices will come down,”

Another spare part dealer added, “Unless I sell the one which I already ordered and finish before I can reduce the [price] of the goods. I haven’t ordered new one so I can’t reduce the price. If I reduce the price I am going to lose my job”.

“We have come to understand that the dollar is down and the cedi is also going up so we are going to do what they say but not now. We will go down on prices when we see the dollar is still stable at where it is,” another spare part dealer explained.