The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has warned that transport fares will be adjusted upward if fuel prices rise by the margins projected by the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) for the second half of March, marking the most significant potential pump price increase in nearly three years.
COMAC has projected that petrol prices could rise by 16.93 percent and diesel by 17.21 percent in the pricing window running from March 16 to March 31, 2026, while Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) prices may climb by 11.26 percent over the same period.
The projected increases are driven primarily by a sharp surge in global crude oil prices, which rose from approximately $71.41 per barrel to $100 per barrel in mid-March, triggered by the military conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran that began on February 28.
The GPRTU said while it had exercised restraint throughout 2025 and the early weeks of 2026, a period during which fuel prices declined or held steady, a jump of this scale would leave the union with no sustainable choice but to pass costs on to commuters. The union indicated any fare revision would be implemented “reasonably,” without specifying a percentage or timeline.
The GPRTU has consistently maintained that it does not adjust fares based on fuel prices alone, citing the persistently high cost of vehicle maintenance, spare parts, tyres and lubricants as equally significant factors in its pricing decisions.
The warning from transport operators came on the same day that the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) cautioned that the projected fuel price increases could reverse recent gains in Ghana’s inflation trajectory, which had been on a downward path heading into the second quarter of 2026.
COMAC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Riverson Oppong had earlier noted that while the war is generating supply security concerns globally, Ghana is not expected to face immediate fuel shortages as the country sources most of its petroleum from Western markets rather than the Middle East.
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is expected to publish official price guidance ahead of the March 16 window. Any confirmed adjustment would directly affect millions of Ghanaians who rely on commercial transport for their daily commute, at a time when household budgets remain under pressure from broader cost-of-living challenges.
