Mr Kwasi Agyeman Busia, the Chief Executive of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), has directed regional and district managers to post the price list of services the Authority renders to the public to promote transparency.
The notice should be visible, possibly at the main entrances, on the doors and at client service centres.
That, he said, would inform customers of the exact amount to pay to avoid the tendency where some clients paid colossal sums of money to middlemen, popularly called “goro boys” ostensibly to facilitate the processing of their documents.
Mr Busia gave the directive when he addressed staff during a visit by the Board of Directors of the Authority to its Obuasi, Dunkwa-On-Offin, Bekwai, Mampong, Agona, Offinso, Kumasi and the Nkawkaw offices to acquaint themselves with their operations.
Unfortunately, Mr Busia said, the clients’ were short-changed by the middlemen who approached them to assist, thereby giving them fake documents including drivers licence.
The Chief Executive said the organisation had seen lots of reforms including the turnaround time of doing business where clients accessed services within 30 minutes at the prestige centre, two weeks at the premium centres and four weeks for regular services for the drivers’ license.
He said the Authority would continue to introduce cutting-edge technology and innovation to transform the value chain of its activities to achieve customer satisfaction.
Mr Busia said the new DVLA sought to put the customer first in the scheme of its operations by ensuring that they were treated with respect and received services within the shortest possible time urging the staff to be customer centric.
That, He said, was the way forward to build, promote and sustain a positive image of the Authority stating that it was determined to maintain best practices for licensing drivers and vehicles to make the roads safe for users.
He urged the staff to uphold integrity, professionalism, excellence and reliability in their work as the Authority is poised to leverage on its operations to ensure that only vehicles in good conditions ply the roads.
He asked them to commit themselves to excellent customer service in line with the Authority’s vision of making customer satisfaction its hallmark. He entreated drivers to have their eyes tested regularly to know the state of their vision. Mr Busia touched on Compliance and Enforcement Unit, which periodically conducted exercises on the highways together with the National Road Safety Commission and the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department to ensure that vehicles were roadworthy.
He touched on digitisation of vehicle records to enhance good vehicle documentation and the introduction of electronic system to eradicate fake roadworthy stickers.
Mr Frank Davies, the Board Chairman, commended the workers for their commitment to work, which had given the public a good image of the Authority. He cautioned those who ‘aid’ middlemen to eschew the practice saying they would be dealt with when caught.
Such acts, Mr Davies said, was not only an affront to the Authority but a drain to the state as it deprived it of the needed revenue for national development.
The managers on their part assured the Board of their determination to improve on their operations.