Passengers in Aburi in the Akuapem South district of the Eastern Region have given a one-week ultimatum to transport operators to reduce fares or else they will stage a massive demonstration.
The passengers are accusing the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of unreasonable increments, which they said, was affecting the cost of transportation.
Addressing the media, some concerned youth in Aburi noted with disdain that transportation fares in Aburi to any part of nearby areas are high compared to other places despite having good roads.
According to them, whilst a 23km road from Aburi to Madina now costs Ghc13.60, a 26.9 km road from Madina to Dodowa costs Ghc10.
They argued that transport fares from Aburi to Madina shot up during the reconstruction of the Tetteh Quarshie to Mamfe road two decades ago due to the diversion of the road through Kitase -Brekuso to Kwabenya.
However, drivers failed to reverse the Ghc2 additional increment as agreed with passengers after the construction of the road.
Instead, they kept increasing the fares.
This, they said, is worsening the plight of the people and also affecting businesses in the area.
Secretary of the youth group, Fred Odei Addo Duodu, demanded an immediate reduction in transport fares else the youth would rise.
“It is our fervent prayer that our demands today on paper must translate into a renewed action by the transport unions to expose those unscrupulous drivers who charge exorbitantly based on their own discretion, push for bolder policies to flush out drivers who disregard the approved general pricing principle by the transport unions.”
He noted that several efforts to petition the Greater Accra Regional GPRTU executives and Akuapem South District Chief Executive to address their grievances have failed.
Meanwhile, some drivers have also argued that they cannot be blamed because they only implement fares approved by GPRTU.