The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has dismissed allegations that its members are deliberately inflating transport fares amid claims of a shortage of public transport vehicles.
The denial follows comments by the Minister of State for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who accused some operators of engineering artificial scarcity in order to charge passengers more than approved fares.
Reacting to the accusation, GPRTU National Secretary General, Kofi Amoah, clarified that the union does not condone such practices and has never instructed its members to abandon terminals or flout fare regulations.
According to him, incidents where stranded passengers are forced to pay unapproved fares often involve vehicles that are not affiliated with the union.
“These situations usually occur on the roadside, where drivers take advantage of passengers. Most of the vehicles involved are not union members; they are floating vehicles,” Mr Amoah said in an interview with Channel One TV on Wednesday, January 14.
He revealed that the union has already held internal discussions and is preparing to intensify monitoring efforts to ensure compliance among its members.
“We are deploying our task force to the streets. Any of our vehicles found engaging in such acts will be arrested and sanctioned,” he warned.
Mr Amoah further advised commuters to board vehicles only from recognised GPRTU stations, explaining that union members operate under strict rules, including adherence to approved routes, fares, and mandatory station levies.
“We urge passengers to use our designated stations instead of picking vehicles by the roadside,” he added.
The union insists that strict enforcement and passenger cooperation will help curb the problem and restore confidence in public transport operations nationwide.
