The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has served notice to four transport unions of its intention to restrict their commercial minibuses to intra-city services or routes not exceeding 40 kilometres.
The notice was served to the National Chairman, Ghana Private Road Transport Union, Accra; Managing Director, 2M Express, Accra; Managing Director, OA Travel & Tours, Accra and National Chairman, Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council, Accra.
A statement signed by Mr. David Osafo Adonteng, Acting Director-General, NRSA, said the Authority will be compelled to impose the restrictions if the transport unions failed to deal with the incessant high speed and reckless overtaking by drivers of Toyota Mini-Buses on major corridors, particularly, the Kumasi-Accra Highway.
It said the Authority had received numerous complaints from road users, including the Ministry of National Security on the incessant high speed and reckless overtaking by drivers of Toyota Mini-Buses on our major corridors, particularly, the Kumasi-Accra Highway.
The statement said subsequently, the Authority had this year held meetings with the underlisted operators of the transport services on the affected routes on the need to institute internal safety controls, including training and real-time tracking of their drivers to minimise the risk associated with the unsafe practices but to no avail.
It said the Authority had a duty imposed by the NRSA Act 2019 (Act 993) to reduce road traffic crashes, injuries and deaths by such measures, including the issuance of cautions, notices, and directives to improve the quality of transport service or correct irregularities in transport operations to prevent or minimise road traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths.
“Given the above, the Authority wishes to serve notice to the above transport operators that, without an immediate improvement in the quality of services complained of, that is, high speeds and reckless overtaking, the Authority will be compelled to initiate the necessary administrative protocols to impose restrictions on the movement of their commercial minibuses to intra-city services or routes not exceeding 40 kilometres,” the statement said.