Commercial drivers who ply the Tema - Prampam and Afrenya road are demonstrating against the Tema Metropolitan Assembly City Guards over alleged extortion and unlawful arrest at their loading points.

According to the commercial drivers, the TMA, taskforce, together with the Police earlier fined them GH₵50.00 if their vehicles are impounded. They are required to pay the amount before their buses are released.

However, they are now being charged GH₵300.00, as a calculated attempt to extort monies from them.

Some of the demonstrators told the Ghana News Agency in Tema, as they marched through some principal streets to press home their concern that, they were tired of the continuous harassment.

They said because there is unbearable hardships in the system, paying these frequent charges is becoming unacceptable.

The drivers, who blocked the TDC main road, tooted their car horns to demonstrate their anger, strapped their heads and hands with red bands and shouted to demand that all impounded cars be released.

A former Vice Chairman of Prampam GPRTU, Mr Augustine Atawiah said the Union's vehicles number 47. The drivers wake up around 04:00 hours to queue for passengers, until 10:00 hours before they could load the vans.

The Head of the Metro Guards, Mrs Vivian Ocran told the GNA that the undisciplined behavior, indiscriminate parking and picking of passengers by the commercial drivers posed a nuisance, therefore the fine would serve as a deterrent.

She advised the drivers to load from the various stations because there are laws in Tema and they would enforce them, to deter passengers from not going to the station.