Former Deputy Transport Minister, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, has questioned the Transport Ministry‘s authority to order the arrest of private transport drivers for increasing their fares.
She indicated that the ministry lacks the mandate to do so. She contends that as long as fuel prices continue to rise, drivers have the right to adjust their fares accordingly, citing economic factors as the basis for their decision.
Mogtari’s assertion, echoed in a post on X on Tuesday, April 16, read: “The Transport Minister or is it the Ministry of Transport has absolutely no power to ask the Police to arrest drivers of private vehicles who have increased fares because of the recent increase in fuel prices!”
The Ministry’s directive, issued on Monday, April 15, instructing the Ghana Police Service to monitor and apprehend drivers charging fares above approved rates, was met with skepticism by Joyce Bawah.
In response to drivers’ concerns about the necessity of fare hikes due to escalating fuel prices, the Ministry emphasized ongoing negotiations for new public transport fares with Road Transport Operators.