The Chairman of Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTA), Mr. Eric Boateng, has denied reaching an agreement with the University of Ghana Students Representative Council to reduce taxi fares by GHC 2.00 anywhere on the university’s campus.
According to Mr. Boateng, the unions only agreed to reduce the fares on “short distances” but not across the board, as it was reported earlier in the SRC’s statement.
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the statement, emphasizing the fact that students should have received a better explanation from the SRC on the agreements.
“The SRC released a statement saying taxi fares have been reduced by GHS2.00 anywhere on campus which was not the case. They should have explained to the students that the reduction is only on short distances. I called the SRC Vice President, Abraham Lincoln, to explain to him how dissatisfied we the drivers are about the SRC’s release. It is not true that the taxi unions agreed a reduction of fares by GHS2.00 anywhere on campus as the SRC claimed,” he spoke to UniversNews.
However, the General Secretary of the UGSRC, Emmanuella Boakye Yiadom, also speaking to UniversNews, explained that the SRC did not agree on a reduction in transport fares only on “short distances” but across board.
“We had a meeting with the taxi unions. We proposed to them to reduce fares since there had been reduction in fuel prices. We agreed on GHS2.00 reduction anywhere on campus not a short distance. Who can even determine this journey is a short distance? We told them we cannot work on a short distance.”
Some students earlier 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.
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.”
Background
On the 15th of February 2023, the UGSRC announced in a communique that the SRC and the three taxi unions on campus have agreed on a reduction in transport fares by GHS2.00 thereby reducing the fare from GHS10.00 to GHS8.00. Students were then informed on the developments and directed to adopt the new fares.
“The SRC engaged the taxi unions on campus and agreed on a new taxi fare of 8 cedis for trips on campus. This new taxi rate has taken effect already and as such students are informed about it compliance. Students are encouraged to maintain a cordial relationship with the taxi drivers on campus as well.”
