Commercial drivers divided over calls for reintroduction of road tolls

Driver unions in Ghana are divided over calls for the reintroduction of road tolls in the country.

While the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has strongly opposed the possible reintroduction of tolls, the Concerned Drivers Association insists that the government must bring back the collection through the 2024 budget.

In an interview with Citi News, the public relations officer for the Concerned Drivers Association, David Agboado, emphasized the need for the government to seriously address road infrastructure challenges.

“Our roads are very deplorable, and the government should fix them and bring back the toll service so that our physically challenged brothers and sisters will also get work to do and get proceeds to fix the roads.”

But reacting to this in a Citi News interview, the relations officer for the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, Abass Imoro, argued that the reinstatement would not benefit Ghanaians as it could lead to additional mismanagement of funds by the authorities.

He bemoaned the lack of transparency in the monies collected at stations with toll policies.

“Most of our roads are still very bad, especially where tolls are being paid. The places are very bad, and those who manage the places for us raised issues when we agitated about the money we pay every day as professional drivers. They also came up with a huge amount they have been getting daily, which the Roads and Highways Ministry denied.”