A disagreement over transport fares between a driver, a mate and a passenger turned into a heated political discussion among passengers while travelling in a public transport vehicle.
The incident reportedly began when a passenger challenged the fare being charged, arguing that recent reductions in fuel prices should have reflected in transport fares. The passenger insisted that the mate should reduce the fare accordingly, leading to a back-and-forth argument between the two sides.
As the disagreement intensified, another passenger intervened and accused some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of attempting to use the issue to discredit the current government.
According to the passenger, similar concerns over money and economic issues were not strongly raised when the NPP was in government.
He argued that “some monies are not meant to be collected in the first place,” while suggesting that the current political debate over fares and prices was being influenced by partisan interests.
The passenger further claimed that many Ghanaian youth had become dissatisfied with the NPP and were no longer willing to support the party at the polls.
“The Ghanaian youth are tired of them, and no matter what they do, nobody is going to vote for them,” he was heard saying.
He also accused some NPP supporters of being particularly vocal whenever transport fares increased, while allegedly refusing to accept similar increases when they were in power.
The original passenger involved in the fare dispute later threatened to report the matter to the police at a nearby barrier if the mate refused to reconsider the fare.
He subsequently told the mate to return the passengers’ balances, warning that he would report the matter to the police if the issue was not resolved.
The passenger eventually got off at his destination, bringing the heated exchange to an end and restoring calm among those on board.
By: Prince Martey-Sogar