The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) is urging all commercial road transport operators to fully embrace and collaborate with the authority for the successful implementation of the electronic registration (e-registration) of road transport service providers, scheduled to begin next month.
During an engagement session with 47 commercial road transport operators in the country, the acting Director-General of the NRSA, David Osafo Adonteng, commended some of the transport service providers for taking the initiative to automate their systems ahead of the digitalisation exercise.
The purpose of the engagement was to raise awareness among the transport service providers regarding the e-registration process and to provide them with comprehensive details of the components and benefits of the TransportGhana initiative, which was launched last month.
Through TransportGhana, the NRSA aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of commercial road transport services in the country. It also aims to reduce road traffic casualties by at least 50 per cent by the year 2030.
The project, which includes features such as e-registration and licensing of transport operations, electronic ticketing and cashless systems, departure control and roadside assistance, is designed to transition commercial road transport services from manual to technology-based operations through automation and digitalisation.
Furthermore, the project aligns with the country’s road safety management and the government’s policy to digitise all sectors of the national economy.
Commercial road transport operators in attendance at the meeting included names like the Intercity STC, the Metro Mass Transit Limited, the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC), the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), and the Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA), among others.
Mr. Adonteng acknowledged and commended ten commercial road transport service providers, including the GPRTU, PROTOA, Ayalolo, OA, and VVIP transport services, for automating their systems to facilitate integration into the national electronic system by March.
In addition to sensitising the operators on the registration processes, the NRSA also presented the e-registration processes and the NRSA 2024 Action Plan to the transport operators. The plan includes registration of regulated entities as a legal mandate, pre-trip operational inspections, electronic registration, as well as inspections and compliance actions.
However, some transport operators expressed concerns about the NRSA’s capacity to deliver the mandate as required by law, citing limited staff and logistical constraints. They also raised issues about the indiscriminate parking of faulty heavy-duty trucks on highways and the inability of the Ghana Highway Authority to fix potholes, which contribute to several crashes.
Despite these concerns, the new initiative introduced by the NRSA is seen as a significant step towards sanitising the transport sector and reducing road crashes to the barest minimum.
