By Cecil MENSAH
Commercial drivers in the Accra metropolis are seething with anger over purported arbitrary decision of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to increase the commercial drivers’ operating permit by one hundred per cent.
The commercial drivers’ anger comes in the wake of the outcry that led to the postponement of the implementation of the National Towing levy by the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC).
According to the largest commercial drivers grouping, Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), the drivers were not consulted by the Assembly when the decision of the increment was executed.
The commercial drivers in the city are pushing for further increment on transport fares in parity with the AMA’s vehicle permit increment even though the prices of petroleum products have been marginally reduced by the new administration.
Deep throat sources at the Greater Accra Regional secretariat of the union told Business Day Ghana they were not consulted on the decision even though they are major stakeholders in the transport business in the country.
The regional body has further directed members not to pay the said increment until the Assembly, led by Nii Adjei Sowah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), convenes a stakeholder meeting to address the issue.
The Assembly, Business Day Ghana has learnt, has secretly increased the type ‘A’ permit for commercial drivers by eighty per cent without any consultations whatsoever with the stakeholders in the sector.
Business Day Ghana can report that commercial drivers are being compelled to pay the said increment because failure to do so means a nasty confrontation with the Metropolitan City Guards who check the operating permit like the Police personnel do in the checking of drivers’ licence in the business districts of Accra every day.
Now a driving permit type ‘A’ renewal, which hitherto cost GHC7.10p, has been increased to GHC15.10p.
Among other things, sticker permit for vehicles carrying 19 persons and more has been increased from GHC15.00 to GHC23.00 annually.
Meanwhile, Business Day Ghana has intercepted a letter dated April 2, 2017 and addressed to the Coordinating Director of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly from GPRTU and copied to the president of the Co-operative Transport Society, MCE, all branches of GPRTU, the Chairman of PROTOA, and the Head of Revenue Section of the Assembly.
Headlined, ‘Petition on New Permit Type ‘A’ Fees and Other Permits’ in the metropolis, the letter communicates that “management of the above –mentioned regional secretariat has directed me to draw your attention to the unapproved adjustment of permit type ‘A’ fess without our concern.”
The letter recounted that “latter part of last year we attended a meeting at the AMA under the invitation to review fee fixing in the sector.
“It was agreed that there will be no increment on any AMA fee on transport this year 2017.”
Earlier, the AMA had written on March 7, 2017 inviting all transport executives to a meeting at its assembly hall on March 9. At the said meeting, operators raised the issue of the secret increment of the permit by 80 per cent but this was denied by the officials of the Assembly, consequently promising to call all transport operators to a meeting on that matter within a week.
Even though the meeting to have the matter addressed was not called, Business Day Ghana understands that the Assembly has gone ahead to charge the new fees.
In a letter signed by Abass Ibrahim Moro, the Regional Public Relations Officer of GPRTU, the union is contending that the decision to impose the levy without going through the normal process of stakeholder consultations is wrong and called for its rectification before things get out of hand.
Meanwhile, the Public Relation Officer of the Assembly, Numo Blafo III, has told Business Day Ghana that no such increment has taken place.
“I am not aware of any increment. I have to find out from the revenue officers in charge. I don’t know … I don’t know…” he desperately told Business Day Ghana in Accra.
As far as he was concerned, no such increment has been made because the stakeholder meeting to herald the fixing of the fee has not taken place.
He confirmed that normally the increment is done in consultation with the stakeholders in the industry before an announcement is made.
Writer’s Email: cecilm@businessdayghana.com
