Transport operators have been charitable to Ghanaians – NDC’s Banahene

Communication Team Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Owusu Banahene, insists increment in public transport fares is long overdue.

According to him, despite the regular increment in fuel prices over the past few months, commercial transport owners have been patient with Ghanaians, refusing to increase lorry fares.

Commercial transport operators have hinted at a possible increase in lorry fares by 30 percent.

The long-deserved increment as they describe it is to prevent them from making losses after the government’s refusal to remove nuisance taxes from petroleum products.

“I think the transport people have been good to Ghanaians. The gov’t promised to remove nuisance taxes from petroleum products but nothing was done after the promise. Fuel prices have gone up in the past two weeks and commercial transport owners still charge the same prices. I agree on it time for them to increase fares,” he told Don Kwabena Prah on Happy98.9FM’s Epa Hoa Daben political talk show.

Although he supports the increase in fares, Banahene pleaded with commercial transport operators to review the percentage increase. “The 30 percent increment needs to be reviewed as it’s too steep. The increment in fares affects everything in this nation and this should be considered.”

He urged Ghanaians to brace themselves for fare increment and the associated rise in prices of goods and services.