Transport operator VIP Jeoun Transport Company Limited has hiked its fares by 25%.
This means a one-way trip from Accra to Kumasi will now move from GH¢120 to GH¢150.
The company attributed the increase to significantly longer travel times caused by severe traffic congestion and poor road conditions along the Accra-Kumasi highway.
Speaking to the media, Managing Director Adakabre Frimpong Manso explained that what used to be a six-hour journey now routinely takes up to 10 hours due to major bottlenecks at Nsawam, Nkawkaw, Konongo, and deteriorating sections of the road.
“VIP is a limited liability company, and we are not part of any union…the meeting we are led to believe between the Transport Ministry is with the GRTCC and the GPRTU. This is a purely private company, and then we make an assessment, and where we believe we need to plug some holes, we have to plug some holes,” he said.
He highlighted two main drivers behind the fare adjustment – increased time spent on the road and the company’s investment in infrastructure.
“First, the buses spend a lot of time on the Accra-Kumasi road. Something that should have been 6 hours, we are spending up to 10 hours because of bottlenecks… So that increases the maintenance cost and then increases diesel consumption,” he said.
The fare increases come at a time when the GTRCC and GPRTU are fighting the government over a possible increase in road fares.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
