By King Amoah
The streets of Kumasi are currently gripped by a rising tension as tripartite conflict unfolds between the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), commercial drivers and passengers.
At the heart of the dispute is the unresolved issue of transport fares following the recent government fuel price adjustments.
As government remains conspicuously silent on the release of official fare increments, a vacuum has been created to compel drivers to take the laws into their own hands and fix prices that suit them.
The Drivers’ Stance: Survival verses. Law:
For the commercial drivers the decision to unilaterally increase fares is not one of a greed but of necessity.
Speaking to the Correspondent on behalf of the other drivers Richard Opare a popular commercial driver at the Sofoline lorry terminal said as known to all transport unions in the country, the current economic climate makes it impossible to maintain the old fare structure.
We are law abiding citizens who want to serve the public, but we cannot operate at a loss, Opare explained.
Citing the high costs of fuel, cost of vehicle maintenance and spare parts, drivers argue that their daily sales dwindle to the disadvantage of their profession
The drivers maintained that until government provides an official and sustainable fare adjustment,, they may have no choice than to fix their own faress to help serve the public.
They have also threatened to withdraw their services entirely should authorities attempt to impose legal sanctions on them.
On their part, commuters view the situation differently. Already burdened by the rising cost of living, many passengers are labeling the drivers’ actions as “unlawful.
Passengers are demanding that government should intervene in the issue immediately to curb what they described it as “arbitrary price gouging” by the transport operators.
KMA’s Warning: The Threat of Prosecution;
Caught in the middle of these mounting tensions, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has issued a stern warning to the transport operators to stop harassing passengers with unapproved fares while official fares are yet to be released by the government.
. In a statement KMA cautioned drivers against charging unapproved fares, noting that such actions are illegal and disrupt public order.
The Assembly warned that any driver found to be violating the directive would be arrested and prosecuted.
Meanwhile the this warning has been met with defiance. The drivers remain unmoved, challenging the KMA to address the root cause of the issue on why the government has refused to release official prices instead of its attempt to penalize those who are struggling to make ends meet.
A Road to Nowhere:
As the standoff continues, the transport sector in Kumasi remains fragile. The silence from the government has left both the KMA and the transport unions in a deadlock.
With drivers threatening a strike action should they face further impediments and passengers demanding relief from the rising costs of fares, the situation appears volatile.
Observers are now calling for urgent intervention from the Ministry of Transport to release adjusted fares, arguing that without a clear official framework the fragile peace in Kumasi’s transport sector could soon collapse into a full blown crisis.
