Ghana’s Tap N Go system is a digital service for the public transport sector which was launched by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia on February 19, 2024.
The system allows passengers to use a multi-functional, cross-utility card or a mobile app to access and pay for public transport services across the country by tapping the card or the phone on a fixed machine in a bus.
A Replica of Aayalolo and Easy Taxi?
The system is similar to EasyTaxi, a UK-based on-demand booking app that connects users with local taxi and private hire companies for a friendly and affordable transport solution. Interestingly, EasyTaxi launched in Ghana in 2014 but eventually shut down due to a lack of growth.
The Aayalolo Bus System, which was launched in 2016 but has so far failed to scale, also made use of transport cards which enabled riders to purchase credit on their cards and “tap” a verificator on the Aayalolo buses to ride to their destinations.

Between The Lines
There are also some differences between the two systems. The Tap N Go system is reported to cover a wider range of transport services, including inter and intra-city bus services, commercial transport (trotro), loading taxi services, and taxi-hailing services.
However current observations of local taxies and trotros call into question the sustainability and implementation of the Tap N Go service.
A member of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), publically stated that the system can never work in trotros, the most popular mode of public transport in Ghana, given the current nature and design of trotro services.
Competition With Ride-hailing Services?
With the Tap N Go system effectively appealing to taxi drivers, the platform is competing with ride-hailing services in Ghana including Uber and Bolt.
Although they use the same technology flow, the only competitive advantage is that the Tap and Go system offers a 12% commission fee compared to the 20% by both Bolt and Uber.
Private ride-hailing companies have first mover advantage and are in more cities in the country.
Our Take
Given past experiments with the Government attempting to modernize public transportation with technology, it’s hard to see the Tap and Go project being a success in the long term.
In the application of use for the Metro Mass and Aayololo, we can see some success in that area but not with the current taxi and trotro service.
Unless the government has an effective game plan to support the local transportation industry with tech support and other necessities, it’s hard to see the Tap and Go project scaling across the country.

We have been outspoken about the Government leaning more towards building open-source technologies which the private sector can leverage to build their solutions which include transportation.
We’ll keep reporting on developments with this story.
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