The Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has defended the decision by transport operators to increase public transport fares by 20 per cent, describing the adjustment as reasonable given rising operational costs.
His comments follow the announcement by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Commercial Transport Operators of Ghana that transport fares will increase nationwide from Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
The transport operators said the fare adjustment was necessitated by the persistent rise in fuel prices and the increasing cost of vehicle spare parts, which continue to put pressure on their businesses.
Speaking on Citi News Digest with Samuel Ackom on Saturday, May 30, Mr Amoah said transport operators had been patient with commuters despite mounting operational challenges.
“Let me start off by saying that the transport operators have been quite magnanimous with all of us. At this time when already fuel prices are set to go up again on Monday, one could imagine that their operations could become unsustainable if they continue to charge the very old fares,” he said.
According to him, transport operators had earlier reduced fares when fuel prices declined and should be allowed to adjust them now that prices have returned to previous levels.
“Granted that it is those who decided to go down on fares when fuel was 15. Now that it’s gone back up to 15 again, it could only be fair that we grant them that space to also adjust back to the old levels they were,” he stated.
Mr Amoah further noted that several transport operators, including long-distance bus services, had already adjusted their fares, making it unreasonable to expect GPRTU members to maintain the old rates.
“It would become quite a disservice to the GPRTU and other transport operators if we insist at this point that they should stick with the old fares. So I find that the adjustment is reasonable, except that we would need to again ask them the basis for the 20%,” he said.
While supporting the fare increase, the COPEC Executive Secretary said he would have preferred a 15 per cent adjustment rather than 20 per cent. However, he acknowledged that transport operators may have factored in other rising costs, including insurance and spare parts.
He explained that a commuter currently paying GH¢100 for a trip could expect to pay about GH¢120 under the new fares, while a GH¢10 fare could increase to approximately GH¢12.
Mr Amoah also renewed calls for a scientific and transparent system for determining transport fares in Ghana.
He proposed the adoption of a formula that takes into account both fixed and variable operating costs to establish a standard cost per passenger per kilometre.
According to him, such a system would eliminate recurring disputes over fare adjustments and provide clarity for both transport operators and commuters.
“But I think that we should be making meaningful progress towards arriving at a cost per head per kilometre, so that there is no confusion and no chaos,” he said.
He described the current system of fare determination as largely arbitrary and urged stakeholders to adopt a more data-driven approach to transport pricing.
