The Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) has urged passengers to challenge drivers who demand fares above the officially approved rates following the recent 8 per cent increase in transport fares.
The council said passengers could help curb overcharging by insisting on paying only the approved fares and reporting violations to the appropriate authorities.
GRTCC General Secretary, Emmanuel Ohene-Yeboah, acknowledged that some fares could be rounded because of difficulties in obtaining exact change, particularly due to the shortage of coins in circulation.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show, he explained that percentage increases could sometimes produce fares that were difficult to collect in exact amounts.
“When we announce a percentage increase, it becomes very difficult to get all the percentages to give a round figure. So what we do as a practice is that we normally look at the figures that are near to the next zero,” he said.
He cited a situation where a fare of GH¢54 could be rounded to GH¢55 where exact change was unavailable.
Mr Ohene-Yeboah, however, stressed that such practical challenges should not be used to justify arbitrary fare increases.
“We are monitoring. We are doing our bit to monitor, but I’ve said time and again that the passengers also have a role to play. You have to help us by insisting on paying the right fee,” he said.
He said monitoring was more effective at established terminals where the GRTCC had officers, but informal loading points remained difficult to supervise because of limited manpower and resources.
The council is therefore relying on passengers to report cases of overcharging, while the police would assist in addressing violations.
Mr Ohene-Yeboah said complaints were expected whenever new fares were introduced and assured that reported cases would be followed up.
He also supported calls for approved fares to be clearly displayed at transport terminals and inside commercial vehicles to enable passengers to verify the correct charges.
GRTCC welcomes scheduled buses
On the introduction of scheduled public bus services on major Accra corridors, Mr Ohene-Yeboah welcomed the initiative, saying it could improve public transport and provide commuters with more options.
He said government had a role to play in public transportation and that scheduled services should not necessarily be seen as a threat to commercial operators.
According to him, commercial vehicles could complement scheduled buses by providing feeder and last-mile services.
“So it’s not something to kill the business. It’s rather to improve, give efficiency to it and also give competition,” he said.
He cited bus rapid transit systems in other African countries as examples of public transport models where scheduled services operate alongside commercial transport.
