The 15% cut in public transport fares scheduled to take effect on Saturday, May 24, has met resistance from commercial drivers, highlighting deeper cost and regulatory challenges in Ghana’s transport sector.
The fare reduction, announced by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), is meant to reflect the recent decline in fuel prices and provide relief to commuters. While the directive was welcomed by passengers, many drivers say they cannot afford to comply under current operating conditions.
Some drivers are preemptively altering routes in a practice known locally as “short,” where passengers are dropped before their final destinations and forced to pay more to get to their destination. Others have stated they will not implement the fare cut unless vehicle owners reduce the daily revenue targets drivers are required to meet.
“The price of fuel has gone down, but our sales targets remain unchanged and the cost of spare parts is still high,” said one commercial driver. “Lowering fares directly reduces our earnings, and we cannot absorb that loss.”
Drivers also argue that the fare reduction, without a corresponding drop in vehicle maintenance costs or spare parts prices, makes it economically non-viable to operate. Spare parts, much of which are imported, remain costly despite the appreciation of the currency.
Transport operators are calling on the government to address structural cost drivers in the sector, particularly the price of spare parts. Without these adjustments, they argue, any attempt to regulate fares downward may be met with limited compliance.
While commuters welcome the fare cuts, the ongoing dispute points to a broader structural issue in price regulation. Until these concerns are addressed, full compliance with fare reductions may remain elusive.
