Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has defended the decision by commercial transport operators to increase public transport fares by 20 percent, describing the adjustment as justified amid rising operational costs.
The fare increment, announced by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Commercial Transport Operators of Ghana, is expected to take effect nationwide on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Citi News Digest programme monitored by NR News on Saturday, Mr. Amoah said transport operators had exercised considerable restraint despite increasing pressure from fuel prices and other operational expenses.
According to him, the latest adjustment reflects prevailing economic realities and is necessary to sustain the operations of commercial transport providers.
“Transport operators have been quite magnanimous with all of us. At a time when fuel prices are expected to increase again from Monday, it would be difficult for them to continue operating with the old fares without running into sustainability challenges,” he stated.
Mr. Amoah noted that transport operators had previously reduced fares when fuel prices declined and therefore deserved the opportunity to restore fares now that fuel costs had returned to previous levels.
He argued that maintaining the old fares under current market conditions would be unfair to operators, many of whom continue to grapple with increasing costs associated with fuel, spare parts, maintenance and insurance.
The COPEC Executive Secretary observed that several transport service providers, particularly long-distance operators, had already adjusted their fares in response to rising costs, making it unrealistic to expect members of the GPRTU to maintain previous rates.
While expressing support for the fare adjustment, Mr. Amoah indicated that he would have preferred an increase of about 15 percent rather than the announced 20 percent. He, however, acknowledged that transport operators may have considered a broader range of cost factors in arriving at the new rates.
He explained that under the new arrangement, a commuter who currently pays GH¢100 for a journey could pay approximately GH¢120, while a GH¢10 fare may increase to about GH¢12.
Beyond the immediate fare adjustment, Mr. Amoah renewed calls for the introduction of a transparent and data-driven mechanism for determining transport fares in Ghana.
He proposed the development of a standard pricing model that takes into account both fixed and variable operational costs to establish a cost-per-passenger-per-kilometre framework.
According to him, such a system would reduce recurring disputes over fare increases and provide greater predictability for both transport operators and commuters.
Mr. Amoah described the current fare-setting regime as largely arbitrary and urged stakeholders within the transport sector to work towards a more scientific and transparent pricing structure.
“I think we should be making meaningful progress towards arriving at a cost-per-head, per-kilometre formula so that there is no confusion and no chaos whenever fare reviews become necessary,” he said.
The latest fare increase comes amid renewed concerns over rising fuel prices and the broader cost of transportation, with many commuters expected to feel the impact of the adjustment in the coming days.
