The Ghana Private Road Transport Union has warned members involved in illegal operations, including charging unapproved fares and running short-distance trips, stressing that such practices tarnish the union’s image and must be stopped.

Speaking to JoyNews ahead of the emergency closed-door meeting at the Accra Regional Office, GPRTU spokesperson Abass Imoro criticised drivers for overcharging passengers, describing the practice as unfair and insisting that it must end immediately.

“It is unfair for members to charge commuters exorbitant fares, and that practice must end immediately.”

On the main focus of the meeting, he added:

“It is about the union stickers that we intend to reintroduce so that they could see which union you belong to. If you do anything bad, you could easily be identified and dealt with.”

In addition, Mr Imoro addressed the ongoing issue of short-distance, or “short-shot,” operations, explaining that all drivers have registered routes which they are expected to follow. He noted that these short-distance practices have caused numerous problems for commuters and said the union was determined to put an end to them.

In compliance with national laws, he reminded members that the Road Traffic Act, 2012, governs their operations:

“We have our Road Traffic Regulation 2012, which has the laws in it. And the results end up at the law court. So if you are being arrested for not complying with the route that you are supposed to work with, you could be charged, and the law court will take its course.”

Clarifying that these are national laws and not union rules, Mr Imoro said:

“These are laws of the land, not laws of GPRTU. The laws of the land. So you can go back to the Road Traffic Regulation 2012, and you can read as much as you could from it, and all comes with its punishment.”

He also outlined the possible sanctions for offenders:

“You could be fined, you could be sentenced, or you could be charged on both issues. If you have been found guilty. These are the laws of the land. Because it was not being used, that doesn't mean they don't exist. So if some of our people have abused it and we are going to revisit it, it will work as it should.”

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