The Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana has announced a 15 percent increase in transport fares starting from Monday, July 22.
According to the group, the reason for the increment is due to the rising cost of fuel which increased at various pumps across the country with petrol selling at about GHS14.795 per litre, diesel selling at GHS15.332 per litre, and LPG selling at GHS16.205 per kilogramme.
They also attributed the increment to the increasing prices of essential items like spare parts.
This means effective Monday the cost of moving about in the capital will be expensive than ever for people who live and work in Accra.
A round trip from the industrial city of Tema to Accra which now costs GHS40, will increase to GHS46.
Commuters from Kasoa (Nyanyano) will now have more to worry about besides the bad roads and heavy traffic. An almost additional GHS2 will top up the current transport fare of GHS12 to Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
Moving from Madina to Osu now costs GHS10 and will see an increment to GHS11.5.
And the short trips from Labone to Circle and Legon which costs GHS5 and GHS8 will rise to GHS6 and GHS9.2 respectively.
Also, people from Westland who work in and around Ridge will have to pay close to GHS40 for a trip that costs GHS32 currently.
This, Hamida, a final year university student, says moving about in the city is already costly so the increment means more burden on her.
“I live at Westland and if I want to go to campus at Osu, then my in and out will be 32 cedis. So as an unemployed student sometimes I have to sacrifice and go to school on an empty stomach,” she bemoaned.
The 15 percent increase might seem minute on face value, but for a city that has not seen a significant increase in minimum wages together with inflation skyrocketing the prices of goods and services, it will sure have great impacts on its people.
