Mr. George Afful, Ashanti Regional Director of the Driver and Vehicle License Authority (DVLA), has confirmed in an interview with The Chronicle in Kumasi that with the exception of bicycles and tricycle motorbikes for courier services, bicycles and tricycles are mandated to operate as private and are not for commercial purposes.
He stressed that the operation of rickshaws, commonly called “Pragya”, is against the law and that offenders are liable for prosecution.
As a result, the DVLA is restrained to register bicycles and tricycles for commercial purposes in accordance with the provisions of Legislative Instrument (L. I. ) 21/80 section 12 (H), Mr. Afful disclosed.
According to the DVLA official, all vehicles and motors intended for commercial purposes are provided with yellow number plates, whereas others with private connotations were of different colour shades of number plates.
The Chronicle has observed that all bicycles and tricycles are registered with a blue number plate, to confirm the position of the DVLA, even though majority of these bicycles and tricycles are being used for commercial purposes across the country.
But the DVLA Regional Manager indicated that it is against the road traffic regulations and encouraged the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service to arrest operators of such vehicles and motors for commercial purposes.
Meanwhile, operators of rickshaws have appealed to the government to consider an amendment of the law to legalise their operation.
Mr. Gideon Odame, a tricycle rider, appealed to the government to come to their aid to keep them in business instead of pushing them to seek greener pastures outside the country.
