Businessman and leader of the Union Government, Akwasi Addai Odike, has backed the decision by some commercial drivers’ refusal to accept the approved fare charges, indicating that it is not obligatory for them to reduce transportation fares.
According to Odike, successive governments have, over the years, refused to acknowledge and consider the plight of drivers before the imposition of fuel taxes.
During a panel discussion on the Angel Morning Show(AMS) on Monday, May 26, 2025, he said that taxes on fuels and charges on shipping fees at the port are one of the major factors that have made transportation fares shoot up.
“The government does not reduce port taxes when people ship their cars for commercial purposes, but when it comes to fare reduction, they want to compel drivers to reduce their fares. The most difficult work is the transport business; the government does not invest in it but wants to benefit from it,” he added.
He also expressed how incompetent both the past and current governments have been by neglecting state transport and leaving it to deteriorate without any maintenance.
“Even the government could not maintain our state transport; they have abandoned it, and now, they hire vehicles and brand state names on them to operate as state buses. Why then does the government now want to compel drivers to reduce transportation fares without investing in their work?” he criticized.
Mr. Addai also blamed the GPRTU for not doing its work well; he explained that they do not put the needs of the drivers into consideration, instead, they just heed to the orders of the government and impose certain forces on them to abide by.
“GPRTU does not help its members. They just follow whatever the government tells them, forgetting they also have to put the needs of its members into consideration,” he said.
He educates drivers that it is not mandatory for them to join any transport union before their operations are recognised.
“Why should I buy a car and ship from abroad to Ghana and pay all costs and taxes revolving around it, and you tell me that, if I do not join a union, I will not be able to operate? It is not compulsory for anyone to join a union,” he emphasized.
