By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Members of the International Drivers Roads and Transport Union (IDRTU), have cautioned the government and all its agencies in the transport sector to stop interfering with the operations of private transport companies and unions.
According to the group, the government through the Ministry of Transport‘s refusal to heed calls from the various transport unions to increase transport fares, is most unfortunate.
Speaking in an interview with the media, the chairman of IDRTU, Mr. Alex Kofi Sarpong, enumerated a number of factors negatively affecting the cost of running transportation in the country.
According to him, high import duties, increase in insurance premiums, costs of tyres, engines, and other spare parts, and even other tolls have been increased astronomically, thus resulting in higher operating expenses.
Mr. Sarpong explained that the only way for the unions to stay in business is to increase their fares by 20%, which he noted the transport ministry has prevented them from doing.
He has therefore charged its members to disregard the Minister of Transport’s order not to charge the 20 percent transport fare increment and urged them to go ahead and charge the proposed 20% increment.
The chairman of IDRTU stressed that transport fares must not be calculated only per fuel increment but also by maintenance and other expenses.
He lamented the lack of concern and commitment by both the Trade and Transport Ministries to addressing the challenges they are facing, such as high import tariffs on spare parts, among others.
“For this reason, I employ our members and that of other unions to go ahead and charge the 20 percent fare increment in order to shelve these increment we incur in maintaining our vehicles,” he reiterated.
