The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has acknowledged that it lacks the authority to control drivers who operate outside the union and increase transport fares without official approval.
The union said the actions of some non-member drivers have made it difficult to effectively regulate fares across the transport sector.
The development comes as negotiations over a possible increase in transport fares continue between the GPRTU and the Ministry of Transport.
Speaking on TV3’s Daily Brief on Tuesday, September 22, GPRTU Deputy Public Relations Officer Samuel Amoah said the unauthorised fare increases initially involved some VIP and OA drivers.
According to him, the affected drivers increased their fares without approval from the Ministry of Transport, prompting the GPRTU to report the matter to the ministry.
He said the union was assured that action would be taken to reverse the increases, but the practice continued.
Mr Amoah said the situation later spread to some floating drivers, who began charging passengers higher fares, particularly during peak hours.
He explained that although the GPRTU raised concerns over the practice, the union could not take direct action against drivers who were not members.
“We equally complained and nothing was done because we, the GPRTU, don’t have powers to be controlling those that don’t fall under our union,” he said.
The union later discovered that some of its own members were also increasing fares without authorisation. This prompted further discussions with the Transport Ministry on establishing a broader system for regulating fares.
Mr Amoah said the GPRTU and the ministry had agreed to establish an officially approved percentage for fare increases, which would serve as a uniform benchmark for drivers.
“We later found out that some of our recalcitrant drivers are doing that. At our last meeting with the Ministry, we agreed that we will quickly come out with an official approved percentage of transport fares,” he said.
He added that the discussions were expected to be concluded on Tuesday, but the absence of the Transport Minister delayed the process.
“We were supposed to finalise everything today but the Minister was not available from the morning and the leadership were asked to hold on and we are still waiting,” he added.
The GPRTU says it remains engaged with the Transport Ministry to finalise an approved percentage for fare adjustments and establish a uniform rate for drivers to follow.
