The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has outlined its key expectations ahead of the upcoming mid-year budget review in Parliament, urging the government to address rising fuel costs and fulfill its promise to supply the union with commercial buses.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Mr. Samuel Amoah, the Deputy Public Relations Officer for the GPRTU, described the union’s demands as modest, pinpointing fuel pricing and fleet provision as two critical issues requiring the Finance Minister’s urgent attention.
Mr. Amoah revealed that during a recent meeting involving the Vice President and the Transport Ministry, the government pledged to provide a fleet of vehicles to private operators to help ease the current transportation crisis.
He noted that while some buses have already arrived in the country, they appear to have been allocated solely to Metro Mass Transit, leaving the
GPRTU uncertain about its own share. He warned that failing to deliver on the promised buses would be a major disappointment to commercial transport operators.
“Just recently, we held a meeting with the Vice President and Transport Ministry where they promised to hand over some buses to us so we can operate them as part of the efforts aimed at addressing the shortage of buses in the country. We have observed that some of the buses have arrived and been handed over to Metro Mass Transit, but we don’t know whether they have factored in the ones they would hand over to the GPRTU. It would be disappointing should they fail in delivering on this promise. We expect the Finance Minister to touch on that,” he stated.
Touching on the rising cost of fuel and operations, Mr. Amoah stressed that fuel prices remain a heavy burden on drivers and commuters alike.
“The other concern we want addressed is the cost of fuel. The prices keep increasing, with projected prices expected to jump to GH₵20 for diesel and petrol. These are the two major issues we want the mid-year budget review to address. We also had concerns about roads, but Minister Governs Agbodza has engaged us and outlined what the government is doing in terms of roads,” he added.
According to him, if the government adequately addresses fuel pricing and fleet distribution in the budget presentation, the union will be fully satisfied.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana