Takoradi, Sept. 7 GNA - Taxi Drivers in Sekondi - Takoradi on Tuesday went on a demonstration to protest against the new fuel price increases and the retention of the old fares. According to them, the new increases did not correspond to increases in transport fares and this has greatly affected their daily incomes and brought about confrontations between them and some passengers.
The Police were called in when it was realised that the Taxi drivers had blocked the Takoradi-Sekondi road and parts of Market Circle with stones and vehicles and were preventing other motorists from operating.
The demonstrators stopped Odeneho Gyapong Ababio II, President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, but he advised them to channel their grievances through the regional and local unions of the GPRTU and not to create unnecessary hardships for the public.
At the Kwesimintsim, Beach Road, Harbour, Sekondi, Market Circle and Effiakuma taxi stations almost all the taxis were parked. Those, who tried to work, were prevented from doing so.
A survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), revealed that while some of the drivers were charging the old taxi fares, others had increased them by between 50 cedis and one hundred cedis. Some of the drivers called on local union to release new fares to reflect the increase in fuel prices.
Messrs Kojo Kontor of the Kwesimintsim Taxi Branch and Hayford Kissi of the Beach Road station said they had no idea that a demonstration was going to take place. They warned the drivers not to take any hasty decisions but rather wait for the release of the new fares by the GPRTU. They called on the drivers, who were willing to work to do so.
Mr. George Sanchirey, Regional Chairman of the GPRTU, cautioned the drivers to desist from embarking on any acts of aggression adding that any driver arrested by the security agencies for obstructing traffic, would have to face the law alone.
Mr. Sanchirey said the demonstration is "unlawful" and it was undertaken without the consent of the Regional Executives and appealed to the drivers to rescind their decision and go back to work. He apologised to the public for any inconveniences the demonstration might have caused to them.
