Transport fares to rise 20% from June 2 as GPRTU cites fuel prices and rising operational costs

Ghanaian commuters are bracing for higher transport costs from Tuesday, June 2, 2026, after the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Commercial Transport Operators of Ghana announced a nationwide 20 per cent fare increase.

The announcement, which comes ahead of an expected meeting between the Transport Ministry and transport unions on Monday, June 1, is being driven primarily by two persistent pressures: rising fuel prices and the escalating cost of vehicle spare parts, both of which operators say have made current fare levels financially unsustainable.

The Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has come out in defence of the adjustment, arguing that transport operators have shown considerable patience in the face of mounting operational challenges.

"Let me start off by saying that the transport operators have been quite magnanimous with all of us. At this time when already fuel prices are set to go up again on Monday, one could imagine that their operations could become unsustainable if they continue to charge the very old fares," he told Citi News.

Mr Amoah noted that operators voluntarily reduced their fares when fuel prices fell, and that it is only fair they be allowed to reverse that reduction now that prices have climbed back to previous levels. Several long-distance bus services, he pointed out, had already made adjustments, making it increasingly untenable for GPRTU members to hold out.

For commuters, the practical impact is straightforward: a trip that currently costs GH¢100 will cost approximately GH¢120 under the new fares, while a GH¢10 journey will rise to around GH¢12.

While broadly supportive of the fare review, Mr Amoah said he would have preferred a 15 per cent adjustment, though he acknowledged that the additional five per cent likely accounts for other rising costs beyond fuel — including insurance premiums and spare parts, which have seen significant price increases of their own.

Meanwhile, West Africa Director of CUTS International, Appiah Adomako Kusi, echoed that sentiment, urging the government not to interfere with the increase.

"It will be unfair to ask the transport operators to halt their price increase when we allow NPA and fuel importers to increase prices upward every two weeks," he said, calling the adjustment a necessary response to prevailing economic conditions.