Despite the downward adjustment of fuel prices at the pumps, the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) says it will not decrease transportation fares to reflect the reduction.

Abbas Ibrahim Moro, the Senior Industrial Relations Officer at the Greater Accra GPRTU said the decline in fuel prices is insufficient to cause a reduction in transportation fares, however, a further decline will make the union consider a reduction.

In recent weeks, there has been a hike in fuel prices including diesel and petrol. This development has triggered constant transport increment which has brought about untold hardship on Ghanaians.

However, Diesel is currently selling for GH¢21, while the price of petrol is hovering around GH¢16, thanks to the Monday evening fuel prices decline.

Speaking on News Beat on Metro TV on Wednesday afternoon, Abbas Ibrahim Moro gave reasons to justify why the union is not considering reducing transportation fares at the moment.

“We are happy about the fuel reduction and we all believe and hope it declines further in the coming days.

But that is insufficient to have any effect on the lorry fares we are taking now, so, we hope and pray more of those will come so that it will have an effect on fares,” he told Kenneth Gyasi.

Ibrahim Moro indicated that the transport operators have been considerate to Ghanaians and fare reduction is currently not on their table.

“We have suffered a lot. If you take for instance; in May this year, fuel prices were at GHS11, compare the gap between fuel prices when we increased fares last month to May fuel prices, it is about 100 percent,” he said.

According to him, the increment in transportation fares is not solely on fuel prices and that there are other indicators.

He noted that prices of lubricant and spare parts which also inform transport increment are soaring, adding that the DVLA have also increased their charges.

 By: Bernard Ralph Adams | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana