Kumasi:The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) plans to prosecute commercial drivers who charge unapproved transport fares after an eight percent fare increase was implemented. This decision follows a meeting with leaders from 24 Ashanti regional transport unions.
According to Ghana Web, Randy Wilson, Head of the Transport Department at KMA, stated during the meeting that drivers who exceed the official fare increase could face legal action, fines, and public exposure. Unlike previous measures where vehicles were impounded and fined, the KMA will now also involve vehicle owners in prosecutions to deter such practices.
The assembly's crackdown comes after reports of drivers raising fares independently before the official eight percent increase was announced. Wilson urged union leaders and drivers to return to the base rates used before the fare hike when calculating new fares, warning against adding the increase to previously inflated prices.
The 24 transport unions in the Ashanti Region have accepted the eight percent fare increase and committed to monitoring their members to avoid conflicts with passengers. Joseph Mensah, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Progressive Transport Owners' Association (PROTOA), stated that the union leaders will manage fare calculations and distribute approved rate sheets to drivers.
Mensah also encouraged passengers to report drivers charging excessive fares, assuring that union executive committees would hand such cases over to the authorities. He noted the challenge of "floating drivers," unaffiliated operators who evade union regulations, and called for a standardized vehicle identification system to help police manage non-compliant drivers.
Wilson confirmed that the KMA has prepared standard fare rate charts for routes within the metropolis and will deploy enforcement teams to ensure compliance at bus terminals and loading points.