The Ministry of Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Lincensing Authority (DVLA) have commenced discussions to regularise the use of motorcycles for commercial purposes.
The two are working together to review the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI 2180), which currently bars the use of motorcycles as a form of public transport, popularly known as Okada.
Mr Joseph Bukari Nikpe, the Minister of Transport, made the announcement when he paid a working visit to the Head Office of the DVLA in Accra on Monday.
He also toured the Greater Accra Regional Office of the DVLA as part of efforts to abreast himself of the operations of the agencies under his supervision.
In line with the campaign promise of President John Dramani Mahama, “Okada” riders would be trained and issued licenses to operate “freely”, he said.
The review of the law would be done “as soon as possible” and assured that the regularisation process would commence by the end of the first quarter of the year.
We will commit to ensuring that within the shortest possible time we get it operationalised,” the Minister said, adding: “It is of serious importance to us.
The Road Traffic Regulations 2012 (LI 2180) explicitly prohibits the use of motorcycles and tricycles for commercial purposes, essentially barring their operation as a form of public transport.
The law prohibits the use motorcycle or tricycle to carry fare-paying passengers.
Nonetheless, the use of motorcycles and tricycles for commercial purposes is rampant across the country due to weak enforcement of the law.
Mr Julius Neequaye Kotey, the Chief Executive Officer, DVLA, said the Authority was putting measures in place to operate 24-hours in compliance with the Government’s 24-hour Economic Policy.
The DVLA had reserved a site at its Accra Regional Office to facilitate training and testing of “Okada” riders, 24 hours, to register all riders, he said.
Interacting with some of the clients at the office of the DVLA, they raised concerns about the activities of middleman at the Authority and appealed to the Minister to take steps to address the problem to prevent illegal payments.
Mr Nikpe acknowledged the problem and assured of leveraging technology to enhance DVLA’s operations and completely eliminate the activities of middlemen.
Source: GNA
