Reintroduction of road tolls must exclude corruption, bidding process must be competitive - GPRTU

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) says it has not been consulted in the decision by the government to reintroduce the road tolls.

The GPRTU’s Public Relations Officer, Imoro Abass, stated on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM’s Frontline that they have not been involved in the matter.

He also expressed concern about the revenue mobilisation strategy.

He stated that previously, workers had complained those toll booths that generated more revenue for the government were managed by the private sector, whereas those that generated less revenue were managed directly by the state.

If this is the case, he wants this approach to be reviewed.

He told host Kwabena Agyapong that if the government wants to hand over the management of the system to a private person, it must go through competitive bidding so that if the transport operators have an interest, they will bid for it.

“The procedure must include competitive bidding. It should not be kept secret. It should be made public so that anyone interested, including transportation companies, can bid on it.”

He added that the second issue they have with road tolls is that they must be used to address road sector challenges.

“We want the majority of the toll revenue to be used to repair deplorable roads in order to reduce accidents,” he said.

He requested that the government hold a stakeholder meeting to solicit input and ensure a comprehensive process.

He stated that the proposed amount is not a major concern, but accountability, transparency, and clarity are what they seek.