Kennedy Osei Nyarko, Ranking Member of the Roads and Transport Committee, has condemned the action taken by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) task force to arrest drivers for charging unapproved fares.
The GPRTU task force arrested six drivers operating on the Sowutuom, Kwashieman, and Odorkor routes in Accra for allegedly splitting journeys into segments and charging passengers multiple fares.
National GPRTU Guard Commander, Drumond Ekow Gaisie, in an interview, said the arrested drivers will be handed over to the police for prosecution. “We will be taking them to the Odorkor Police Station for prosecution. I entreat drivers involved in such acts to stop, else we will fish them out,” he warned.
But speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday, January 22, Mr Nyarko said there is no law supporting the task force’s decision to arrest individuals or seize their vehicles for alleged fare violations.
“I believe there is no law that backs the action of this GPRTU. It is illegal for the taskforce of the GPRTU to go ahead to arrest some individuals or some members of the union purported to have charged unapproved prices,” he said.
He argued that the union should instead apply internal disciplinary measures such as suspension or fines, rather than using arrests.
“I thought that is not the best approach they should have used. It is good that every union has their own rules and regulations but it is also proper for the union to understand that Ghana operates a liberalised economy and this economy prices are largely influenced by market forces,” he said.
Mr. Nyarko added that Ghana is no longer in a period of strict price control, and that drivers are free to set fares based on market realities.
“We are not in the PNDC era where there was a price control where sellers or drivers or whoever have to stick to certain prices. As we speak there is no law that prohibits any seller or any driver from charging certain prices,” he said.
He said the GPRTU has the authority to discipline its members, but it went beyond its mandate by arresting drivers and seizing vehicles.
“The GPRTU has their own rules, they could have gone ahead and suspend their membership or even fine them, but to arrest them and seize their vehicles I think they went beyond their mandate,” he stated.
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