The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) is urging a shift from politically influenced negotiations to a transparent, evidence-based framework for determining public transport fares in Ghana.
The call follows the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council’s now-suspended plan to implement a 20% fare increase, citing persistent high prices of goods, services, and spare parts despite a 15% fare reduction in May.
In an interview, COPEC Executive Secretary Duncan Amoah described the current reliance on talks between transport unions and the Transport Ministry as outdated, warning it leaves room for arbitrary and inconsistent pricing.
“Public transport fare should be scientifically driven. Not whims and wishes, when you come to the petroleum sector, we are able to determine the cost per litre per kilometer in-country using all the metrics we use in calculating transport fares, so that we can also publish same.”
Amoah says a robust, data-backed model would factor in real-time fuel prices, operational costs, inflation, and vehicle maintenance trends ensuring fare changes are predictable, justifiable, and fair to both operators and commuters.
COPEC had initially planned to challenge the proposed fare hike in court but has paused the legal process after the Council suspended the increase, which was set for August 8, 2025.
Analysts note that adopting COPEC’s proposed model could help depoliticise fare adjustments, reduce industrial disputes, and improve public confidence in the transport pricing system critical for an economy where over 70% of commuters rely on public transport.
