Two weeks ago, Ghana’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) announced that it was “pausing” its digital transport fee on ride-hailing apps in Ghana after some public outcry.
However, there are some reports that apps like Bolt are still charging users a fee when using the app.
But in the long term, it’s more than likely that the “pause” in the digital transport fee is to mitigate the attention and later roll out the fee in the long term.
Administrative Charges
On March 10th, the CEO of the DVLA, Mr. Kwasi Agyeman Busia, signed off in a memo for the introduction of the digital transport fee for ride-hailing apps in Ghana.
The administrative fee was charged to digital transport operators including Uber, Bolt, and Yango.
The fee was rolled out to riders on April 1st but due to public outcry, the DVLA decided to pause the rollout of the fee to address concerns but never stated when those concerns would be fully addressed.
Fast forward and there have been reports that apps like Bolt are still charging riders a transport fee in addition to their standard ride fee.
Either Bolt is disregarding the pause on the fees or the DVLA has quietly signaled ride-sharing apps to resume the fees because most of the outcry has died down.
Regardless, it does look like the fee will be here to stay for the long term.
A Hidden Price Hike For Ride Apps?
A loyal reader stated that over 65% of the rides taken through ride-hailing apps are mainly short and middle-distance. A “1 GHC” transport fee will have long-term implications as it basically amounts to a 15% price hike for most rides.
So what does this mean for ride behavior? It could lead to less use of ride-sharing apps which in turn could lead to a decrease in driver incomes due to fewer ride orders.
There’s no update yet from the DVLA on addressing its new administrative charges but we foresee a stay of this new fee.
