8% transport fare hike is not justified – Kwame Owusu Danso

The 2024 vice presidential candidate of the Movement for Change, Kwame Owusu Danso, has criticised the planned 8% increase in public transport fares, describing the justification for the adjustment as unfounded.

Public transport fares across Ghana are expected to increase by 8% from Saturday, September 26, following an agreement between the government and transport operators.

The adjustment follows weeks of consultations between the Ministry of Transport, the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) over the 2026 fare review.

Speaking on Accra-based Joy Prime TV on Wednesday, September 23, Owusu Danso questioned the basis for the increase, particularly the argument that rising operating costs warranted higher fares.

“The drivers are hypocrites. They should stop that thing. Every time, whenever there’s a small problem, they are in a haste to increase their fares. But whenever the price of fuel comes down and you are asking them to reduce their fares, they don’t want to reduce it. What kind of hypocrisy is this? I am not for this,” he said.

The former Vice presidential candidate also questioned why fares should be increased when, according to him, some of the factors cited by transport operators as justification for the adjustment had changed.

The GPRTU had initially proposed a much higher increase, citing rising operational costs, before agreeing with the government on the 8% adjustment.

Owusu Danso argued that the government should have engaged the public more broadly before agreeing to the new fares, given the impact of transport costs on ordinary Ghanaians.