The National Secretariat for Online Drivers has threatened to impose fares at their own discretion rather than those set by the app developers.
Uber, Bolt, and Yango are among the ride-hailing apps popular in the country.
Speaking to the media, the secretary for the group, Alex Okine, said the change is essential because the fees set by the app managers are insufficient to cover the rising cost of fuel, hence “operation charge your own fare”.
According to him, the association has called on management to bolster them against the consistent surge in fuel prices, but that has yielded no results.
“The apps are not charging correctly, and the commissions are way too low when fuel prices are going up. The Association wants to deal with the issue once and for all because the government is not doing anything about the prices of fuel. There is no corresponding increase in the base fare for the drivers to survive,” he added.
The recent spike in fuel prices has left scores of Ghanaians grappling with transport operators, currently, a litre of petrol is going for about GHS18, and that for diesel, close to GH¢24, also cost of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is expected to increase by 10%.
Other sectors of the economy are bearing the brunt of the hike in fuel prices.
In the hospitality sector, some restaurant owners in the Ashanti Region have announced plans to charge for soups and stews taken alongside meals like fufu, banku, and rice.
They contend that the current state of the economy, the high rates of inflation, and the continual increases in the cost of food and fuel are the causes of this new development.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Sam Charles said providing free soup and stew to customers puts daily strain on their ability to make a living.
“We are giving the government up to the end of this month, if things continue like this, then be ready to put money aside to buy soup and stew. We can’t give these for free and run at a loss. It is not easy. What wrong have we done for giving our power to one person to lead us,” he questioned.
“When someone talks about it, they say the person has been bribed, you will come and buy soup to taste the reality too,” he added.
The cost of goods and services has increased as a result of the country’s inflation rates, which have been fueled by the increase in tax and the depreciation of the cedi.
Some Ghanaians have responded adversely to this, but the government has insisted that the COVID-19 epidemic and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict are to blame for the majority of the nation’s economic issues.
However, President Akufo-Addo has said that the government is determined to bring relief to Ghanaians, despite the country’s current economic woes.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Energy Security (IES) has served notice concerning an impending nationwide shortage of petroleum products.
IES explained that the depreciation of the cedi and the lack of working capital of importers and distributors of fuel to sustain their businesses are the factors for the looming shortage.
Source: The Independent Ghana