FACILITATION SERVICES FOR CONSULTATION ON MOTORCYCLES OPERATIONS IN GHANA

Motorcycle and tricycle taxis have, in recent years, become an important public transport service option in Ghana. Nonetheless, the road traffic regulations (LI 2180) in the country forbid the use of Powered Two- or Three-Wheelers (PTWs) to offer fare-paying passenger services. The Ministry of Transport (MoT) is reviewing the transport regulations including the Legislative Instrument (LI 2180), which proscribes the use of PTWs for fare-paying passenger services. Consequently, a nationwide consultation was commissioned to elicit perspectives of all transport stakeholders from the ten previous regional capitals on the current legislation, which bans the use of PTWs to offer fare-paying passenger services. It was unequivocally established that participants wanted the current legislation to be revised to enable PTWs to offer fare-paying passenger services. Most participants were of the view that, for some communities, PTWs are the only available public transport modes; their operations offer employment for the youth and their services are cheap, flexible, convenient and fast. They usually will go to areas where ‘trotros’ and taxis find difficult to go because of the bad nature of roads. Though some stakeholders acknowledged some negative externalities like road traffic crashes, noise and violent crimes to be associated with PTWs use, they emphasised that these are preventable through effective policing. To improve the safety and operations of PTW services, participants stressed the need to regulate commercial use of PTWs through stringent licensing regime, training, enforcement of minimum age limit for operators and allowing operators to form identifiable riders' associations. The long-term goal for the transport ministry should be to provide standard public transport services that are amenable to the needs of all communities in Ghana.