ABSTRACT
This chapter contributes to emerging debates on informal urban public transport in the global South by exploring the questions of il/legality and hybridity of transport service delivery in urban Ghana. Urban public transport in Ghana is dominated by operators who provide their services informally, who are locally referred to as floating drivers. These services are treated as illegal by the state, and operators can be arrested and prosecuted. Examining the commuter route between Kumasi and Ejisu, Ghana, this study unpacks the nuances of the informal operations of urban transport services and the legal arguments of metropolitan transport departments, highlighting the hybrid realities of producing mobility. Drawing on interviews with 85 floating drivers and 12 metropolitan and municipal officials, the chapter reveals the range of ‘floating’ services purveyed, operational characteristics of the drivers involved and their daily confrontation and/or co-existence with local regulatory systems. The study confronts the legal framework for managing public transport and questions the attempt to illegalise part of Ghana's informal urban transport. Instead, it suggests recognition, acceptance and inclusivity of the informal urban transport sector.
