Some students on the University of Ghana campus have raised concerns over the taxi drivers’ failure to comply with the directive by the University of Ghana Students’ Representative School to reduce the transport fares on campus.
The directive was given in a communiqué signed by the Office of the Public Relations Officer of the Students’ Representative Council. The communiqué revealed engagements between the Students’ Representative Council and the taxi unions on campus regarding the transport fares charged on campus.
According to the Council, a new taxi fare of eight (8) Ghana cedis would be charged for trips on campus rather than the usual ten (10) Ghana cedis, which at the beginning of the semester caused some discontentment among students.
The release further urged students to comply with the new developments and maintain a cordial relationship with the taxi drivers on campus.
In an interview with Univers News, some students shared their experiences of interacting with drivers on the new charges whilst taking taxis on campus.
According to them, most taxi drivers insist on the ten (10) Ghana Cedis fare claiming that they are not privy to the decrease in transport fares. This then leads to the students having to comply and pay the fares demanded by the drivers.
“The taxi driver told me he was not aware of any decrease in the fares, he insisted that it was ten (10) Ghana cedis, so I just paid and walked away because I was already late for class,” a student shared.
One of the students explained that in a confrontation with one of the taxi drivers, the driver displayed rudeness despite the student using the SRC’s communiqué as proof of the development on the charges.
“I took the taxi from Evandy to the Mathematics Department and the driver told me it’s ten (10) Ghana Cedis, I actually questioned him, and he was raising his voice at me, I was also defending my point because I saw the communiqué from the SRC, I also flared up but at the end I just paid the money and walked away.”
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Story by: Fafa Melody | univers.ug.edu.gh