Passengers using ride-hailing services in Ghana are raising serious security concerns over a growing practice where drivers ask customers to cancel rides after booking and continue the journey offline. Consumers warn that once a ride is cancelled, there is no digital trace of the trip, leaving passengers exposed if anything goes wrong.
Ride-hailing applications are designed to provide safety through GPS tracking, driver identification, trip history, and emergency support. However, when a ride is cancelled at the driver’s request, all these protections disappear. Passengers say this creates a dangerous situation, as there is no official record of the journey, no route tracking, and no clear way to trace the driver in the event of theft, harassment, assault, or accidents.
Consumers argue that the risk becomes even greater for passengers travelling at night, in unfamiliar areas, or during emergencies. Once the app session ends, family members and emergency contacts can no longer track the trip, and platforms are unable to verify where the journey started, the route taken, or where it ended.
The practice has further raised alarm over the handling of payments. Passengers report being asked to pay the same fare shown in the app despite the trip being cancelled, creating uncertainty over pricing transparency and proof of payment. Without a digital receipt or trip record, resolving disputes becomes nearly impossible.
Consumers acknowledge that drivers may be trying to avoid commission payments or recover costs, but many insist that financial concerns should never compromise passenger safety. They argue that no economic justification outweighs the risks associated with removing traceability from a journey.
As ride-hailing becomes a core part of daily transportation in Ghana, passengers are calling for stronger enforcement of safety rules.
Until safeguards are strengthened, passengers say they are becoming more cautious, refusing to cancel rides, sharing trip details manually, or avoiding late-night rides altogether.
For many, the concern is simple but serious: when a ride goes offline, safety goes offline with it.
