There was confusion between drivers and passengers at some lorry stations in the Accra metropolis over arbitrary increases in transport fares following the upward adjustment of the prices of some petroleum products. At the Achimota Terminal, there were fisticuffs between some commuters and drivers' mates when drivers attempted to unilaterally charge fares above the approved 18 per cent announced by road transport operators. Hitherto, the tro-tro fare from Achimota to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle had been 30Gp, but some drivers' mates attempted to charge 40Gp this morning, a development which angered passengers, resulting in confusion at the station. A driver's mate of a tro-tro which plies the Lapaz-Amasaman route, Gideon Appiah, told the Daily Graphic that the fare had now been increased from 55Gp to 65Gp and noted that some drivers plying the same route had ignored the approved fare and were charging 80Gp, to the displeasure of passengers. The Chairman of the Madina-Adenta-Ashongman branch of the GPRTU, Mr Emmanuel K. Kassah, blamed the confusion on the absence of the one pesewa coins in the system. He explained that instead of adding 5Gp to the new fares, the one pesewa coins could have been used to make up for any additions, but since the one pesewa coins were not in circulation, 5Gp was added to the fare to round it up. According to Mr Kassah, the Madina-Adenta-Ashong-man Station had not recorded any confusion, explaining that there was only an additional 5Gp increase in the fares and indicated that passengers were satisfied with that. The Chairman of the Ghana Road Transport Co-ordinating Council, Mr Matthew Hayford, cautioned against any arbitrary fares, saying all must abide by the agreed 18 per cent fare adjustment. Source: Daily Graphic