Leaders of commercial transport organizations from various districts in the Ashanti region have been meeting in Kumasi to rationalize increases in transport fares. Transport operators have been charging conflicting fares following the recent upward adjustments in petroleum prices. Whilst some commuters have had mutual agreement with operators, others have not been enthused with the percentage increase in fares. Head of Urban Transport at the KMA, Mark Obeng Konadu tells Luv Biz Report a harmonized fare is the basis to avoid commuter-driver confrontations as well as instill good enforcement. “We actually agree that the future trend is that the fare should be fixed at the district level through a consultative process with the various stakeholders – the authorities, the transport operators, representatives of passengers and the enforcement agencies – so when we do all these fixing, we bring it together to a central pool at the regional level, then we can disseminate information”, he said. Meanwhile, some commuters are particularly unhappy with the 25 percent increase by operators of the luxurious VIP transport. VIP increased its fare from Gh¢20 to Gh¢25 for the Kumasi-Accra route. A concerned citizen, Opoku Agyemang, has appealed to stakeholders in the transport sector to stop what he described as ‘undue exploitation’. Luv Fm enquiries however suggest the bad condition of the Kumasi-Accra road has increased the cost of vehicle maintenance. There are also concerns the private transport business could collapse like other public companies if operators are forced to charge fares which do not commensurate with the cost of operations.