No 15% fare cut for Uber, Bolt & Yango users - Online Drivers Union tells customers

The Ghana Online Drivers Union has stated that passengers using ride-hailing services such as Uber, Bolt, and Yango should not expect a reduction in fares despite the recent appreciation of the Ghana cedi and declining fuel prices.

This clarification follows the Ghana Private Road Transport Union’s (GPRTU) recent announcement of a 15% reduction in public transport fares.

However, the Ghana Online Drivers Union says the decision does not apply to ride-hailing operators, as they were not involved in the consultations that led to the fare adjustment.

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Francis Tengey, President of the Union, told Citi Business News that the directive does not cover ride-hailing drivers due to their exclusion from the decision-making process.

What the GPRTU did does not include us because we have not been consulted. We are not part of them. We are the users of Uber, Bolt, and Yango. We have a union, but our union is not recognised by the GPRTU or the trade union.

Tengey also revealed that although the union applied for affiliation with the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) in 2021, it has yet to receive formal accreditation.

As a result, ride-hailing platforms are not obliged to implement GPRTU’s fare reductions.

Although we have applied since 2021 to be affiliated with TUC, we have not yet gotten that accreditation. So GPRTU giving this directive does not include us. Uber does not know GPRTU; Bolt and Yango do not know GPRTU.

He was emphatic that customers of ride-hailing platforms should not expect a fare reduction similar to that announced for public transport.

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As unions and representatives of the drivers, we were not part of the meeting that GPRTU and the Ministry of Transport held. We were not represented. So our customers cannot enjoy the 15% reduction on prices

Tengey further emphasised the need for formal recognition of the union, which would allow it to engage directly with ride-hailing companies and advocate for drivers and passengers in response to economic conditions.

He also called on the government to step in and regulate the ride-hailing sector.

We are pleading with the government, through the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Youth and Employment—these two sectors should come together to regulate the sector and recognise the union. When they recognise the union, a letter like this will be coming from us.

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In a related development, consumer advocacy group CUTS International is urging the government to take decisive action to ensure all Ghanaians benefit from recent fuel price reductions.

The group has called for local assemblies to be empowered to sanction commercial drivers who refuse to implement the GPRTU’s fare cut, stressing that transport operators should not exploit commuters during times of economic relief.

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