Ride-hailing drivers have registered their displeasure about the unfair treatment the ride-hailing companies are subjecting them to and have threatened to charge their own fare until further notice.
Ride-hailing services are apps that connect passengers and local drivers using their personal vehicles. In most cases, it is a comfortable method for door-to-door transport. Usually, they are cheaper than using taxis. Ride-hailing services in Ghana include Uber, Bolt and Yango.
For some time now, online drivers have been complaining about low fares and high commissions that they are compelled to pay to the ride-hailing companies, making it difficult to make profit or break even.
This is because, local taxi drivers have the liberty to charge their passengers reasonably for every trip, taking into consideration factors like the nature of the road, distance and so on. But the online driver cannot do that because the app determines what each passenger is supposed to pay, which isn’t helping their business.
Fuel prices have been increased but fares are low. Taxi drivers and other commercial drivers are having the privilege to charge based on the increment of fuel but ride-hailing apps have failed to adjust the fares with regard to the current fuel prices.
They apologised to the general public about their impromptu decision but urged their passengers. to understand their plight and comply with their new policy.