Danquah trotro bus stop near Osu

GPRTU opposes reintroduction of toll booth operations

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union, one of the Associations regulating most trotro buses in Ghana, has asked the government to consult the Union over the reintroduction of road tolls.

Toll services were abolished last year and their operations closed. Then the government explained that the cessation was to resolve queues at toll pay points and to diversify the revenue to the electronic transaction levy.

However, three months into the implementation of the new tax, the government has announced a reversion to the toll collection system.

The GPRTU is of the oponion that the reopening of the booths will reintroduce the queues, which the drivers claim is a nuisance to motorists.

The reintroduction of the toll operations also presents a quagmire to the government. Whilst hawkers will be elated at the prospect of return to business, the ruling party suffers a reputation blemish because the opposition warned that the new tax system will not succeed and that the revenue and associated activities with the booth system provided better economic results. The reversion therefore confirms the opposition foresight and poses a risk to the prudent advisory system the government hails itself of.