Road Tolls Reintroduction: GPRTU Calls For Engagement

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The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has asked the Government to engage them in the implementation of the reintroduction of road tolls to avoid serious consequences.

Mr Abass Moro Ibrahim, the Spokesperson of the Union said government could not take such a decision without engaging a major stakeholder like GPRTU.

The spokesperson, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said GPRTU was unhappy with the Government’s decision to reintroduce the tolls and stressed the need for consensus building ahead of the implementation.

“We are unhappy about this and want an engagement to discuss the issues that bother us,” he said, adding that the abolishment had not only significantly reduced the huge vehicular traffic on highways but also enhanced public transport system.

The reintroduction of the road toll, he said, would not only burden the driver but would also create a lot of inconveniences.

The Ministry of Roads and Highways abolished the collection of road tolls on all public roads and bridges after the presentation of the 2022 Budget Statement on November 17, 2021, by Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance, which announced Government’s decision to remove toll booths.

The Government said the decision was to improve productivity, reduce vehicular traffic and environmental pollution, and explained that the tolling points had become unhealthy market centres, which lengthened travel time and impacted negatively on productivity.

However, the Minister of Finance during the presentation of the mid-year budget review in Parliament on Monday, July 25, 2022, announced the reintroduction of the road tolls.

The decision, he said, was to recoup expenditures for roads and highways, majority of which would be built through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).

The Minister said the tolls would be used to pay contractors and offer equity for investors.

By: GNA