The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has directed drivers who have increased transport fares without approval to immediately reverse the hikes.

Deputy Public Relations Officer of the GPRTU, Samuel Amoah, said the directive follows complaints received from commuters in several parts of the country about drivers charging higher fares despite an agreement to suspend the planned 30% increase.

“We started receiving complaints from yesterday [Monday] in some areas that some of the drivers are increasing the transport fare. So we started doing some follow-up and getting more calls to cross these complaints,” he said in an interview on JoyNews' The Pulse on Tuesday, August 11.

Mr Amoah explained that the GPRTU contacted its executives and leaders at various branches after receiving specific information about the affected routes.

He said some increases had been reported around the Madina area, prompting the union to deploy personnel to verify the complaints and engage local transport leaders.

“We sent some of our men just to verify. And we started [engaging] the leaders to a meeting, making sure that they will comply.

“This is the agreement that we all have; we have all agreed upon that we are to hold on with the increment,” Mr Amoah stated.

The GPRTU says it is also taking disciplinary action against members who violate the agreement.

Mr Amoah explained that the union operates through branches across the country, with branch executives responsible for addressing complaints involving drivers under their jurisdiction.

“If we find out that our members… belong to the union, we straight away call their leaders,” he said.

He added that where a branch confirms that its drivers are increasing fares without authorisation, the union can sanction the drivers or order them to revert to the agreed fares.

“We sanction them or we order them to make sure that the drivers comply,” he said.

Mr Amoah cited a recent complaint involving drivers operating on the Ashaiman route as an example of the union's enforcement efforts.

“We called their leadership and we made sure that they reverted. And we also sent our men there to ensure that… they comply,” he said.

He acknowledged, however, that enforcement remains challenging because not all commercial drivers belong to the GPRTU or other recognised transport unions.

The GPRTU says it will continue monitoring transport terminals and routes to identify drivers who breach the agreement and ensure that unauthorised fare increases are reversed.