Kumasi, April 28, GNA - A Kumasi circuit court on Wednesday fined 12 drivers who ply the Kejetia-Old Tafo route in the Kumasi metropolis a total of 9.6 million cedis for charging unapproved fares and driving without licenses.

They were said to have charged their passengers 5,000 cedis each instead of the approved fare of 2,000 cedis.

The drivers, all pleaded guilty and were each fined 800,000 cedis and will in default serve 12 months jail sentence each in hard labour.

Police Chief Inspector Margaret Damalie told the court that following persistent reports by passengers and residents of the metropolis that some drivers had resorted to charging arbitrary and unapproved fares, the Ashanti Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) mounted an intensive operation on some of the major roads in the metropolis last Tuesday to ascertain the truth.

During the operation, she said, the police stopped the vehicles of the accused drivers at the Suame roundabout and when the passengers on the taxis were asked how much the drivers were taking from them, they said they were asked to pay 5,000 cedis instead of 2,000 cedis. Chief Inspector Damalie said the drivers were consequently arrested and charged with the offences after they had even failed to produce their driving licenses on demand.