Some taxi and trotro drivers within the Tema Metropolis have accused members of the Task Force of Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) and some members of the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of Tema region of extortion and harassment.
They described the action of the task force and the MTTD personnel as abuse of power aimed at ensuring that they did not meet their daily sales and added that the unnecessary arrest of some of their members were calculated to cow them in giving out money upon request.
The drivers numbering over 100 stormed the TMA Transport Unit Department today, Thursday, July 15, 2021 to register their displeasure at how their members are handled by the task force as well as the MTTD.
In an interview with Tema base Plan-B FM, some of the drivers who claim to be ‘floating’ drivers noted that the MTTD personnel has warned them not transport passengers who usually stand on the shoulders of the road travelling to various destinations.
According to them they do not belong to any station and therefore do not see the need to be registered with any of the stations doted within the Tema Metropolis. “They harassing us to go and register with some of the lorry stations. We have explained to them that we are ‘floating’ drivers who do not need to be registered with any station,” one of the drivers who mentioned his name as Mohammed remarked. He added that he and his colleagues are made to pay various fees for picking passengers on the shoulders of the road with an explanation that they have violated traffic regulation.
One of them pointed out that, previously they worked in some of the lorry station but had to stop because the various stations in Tema are too small to accommodate all of them hence the decision to vacate the station and start working as ‘floating’ driver who do not work in any of the stations.
He continued that some of them transport their passengers to destinations like Prampram, Dawhenya and Afienya and believe that they discharge their services without any problem for the MTTD or the task force.
On how much they are made to pay anytime they are arrested, some of the drives alleged that it ranges from an amount of Gh¢150 .00 to Gh¢300.00 as fine for picking passengers at locations described as unauthorized terminal by the task force and the MTTD.
They threatened to demonstrate against officials should they fail to stop the practice.
The Head of Transport Unit Department at TMA, Mr. Edem Nyadudzi responding to the allegation labelled against his subordinates, noted that his department is working in accordance with the Assembly bye -laws to help decongest the roads and also control the movement of commercial vehicles on the roads. He continued that their work is to ensure a more organized system of Transportation within the Tema Metropolis.
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