The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has denied reports that its members are deliberately overcharging passengers amid alleged shortages of public transport vehicles.

Responding to comments by the Minister of State for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who condemned operators for creating artificial scarcity to hike fares, GPRTU National Secretary General Kofi Amoah stated that the union would never instruct its members to violate fare rules or abandon stations.

“These problems happening at the roadside, where passengers are stranded, and drivers take advantage to charge unapproved fares, involve vehicles that do not belong to the union. Most of these are floating vehicles,” Amoah told Channel One TV on Wednesday, January 14.

He added that the union had convened meetings and would deploy task forces to monitor compliance.

“We will be hitting the streets with our task force to ensure that if our vehicles are found engaging in such practices, we will cause their arrest and impose sanctions,” he stated.

Amoah also urged commuters to board vehicles from designated union stations, emphasising that union members are required to pay some fees and consistently operate within approved routes and fares.

“We encourage passengers to use these stations rather than catching vehicles from the roadside,” he said.